{"id":48209,"date":"2025-07-18T19:41:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T19:41:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises"},"modified":"2025-07-18T20:03:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T20:03:48","slug":"cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises","title":{"rendered":"Cocoa Under Pressure as East African Economy Rises"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Eritrea. <\/strong><\/span>West Africa produces nearly 70% of the world\u2019s cocoa, yet smallholder farmers in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Co\u0302te d\u2019Ivoire continue to face chronic underpayment, volatile markets, and limited access to financing.<\/p>\n<p>In our special report, we spoke with <b>Olasunkanmi Owoyemi<\/b>, Managing Director at , who offered a candid look at the sector\u2019s pain points \u2014 and potential.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest challenge remains access to affordable credit,\u201d said Owoyemi. \u201cWithout financing, farmers can\u2019t invest in better tools, practices, or even proper storage, which impacts quality and income.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><b>Sustainability also remains a concern<\/b>, with child labour and gender inequality still widespread in cocoa-producing communities. Owoyemi highlighted how <b>SGC is tackling this<\/b> through women\u2019s empowerment programs, education support, and transparent sourcing.<\/p>\n<p><b>? East Africa Surges Ahead with Nearly 6% Growth<\/b><\/p>\n<p>While the continent collectively anticipates a 4% growth in 2025, <b>East Africa is racing ahead<\/b>, posting a projected 5.9% growth rate \u2014 among the highest in the world.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s driving this boom? A mix of factors:<\/p>\n<p>Investment in <b>infrastructure and energy<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Booming sectors in <b>technology, fintech, and tourism<\/b><br \/>\n<b>Improved regional trade<\/b> through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)<\/p>\n<p>Investment in <b>infrastructure and energy<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Booming sectors in <b>technology, fintech, and tourism<\/b><br \/>\n<b>Improved regional trade<\/b> through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)<\/p>\n<p>Countries like <b>Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania<\/b> are spearheading the momentum. Experts note that policy consistency, public-private partnerships, and macroeconomic stability are helping the region defy global headwinds.<\/p>\n<p><b>Central African Republic\u2019s Coffee Sector: Holding On Amid Adversity<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In the <b>Central African Republic<\/b>, coffee was once a lifeline for thousands of families. Today, the industry is hanging by a thread, battered by <b>insecurity<\/b>, <b>cross-border smuggling<\/b>, and <b>lack of government support<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>Many growers have been forced to abandon their farms due to armed conflict and falling prices. Yet, in towns like <b>Boali and Berbe\u0301rati<\/b>, a few resilient producers continue to cultivate, hoping for international partnerships and a return to peace.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe grow because we believe coffee can still be a path to dignity,\u201d said one farmer.<\/p>\n<p>International aid, institutional reform, and agritech investment could help revive this forgotten sector \u2014 but time is running out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Eritrea<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Eritrea. West Africa produces nearly 70% of the world\u2019s cocoa, yet smallholder farmers in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Co\u0302te d\u2019Ivoire continue to face chronic underpayment, volatile markets, and limited access to financing. In our special report, we spoke with Olasunkanmi Owoyemi, Managing Director at , who offered a candid look at the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":48208,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5],"tags":[329,418,2070,4123,5549,330,233],"class_list":{"0":"post-48209","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-economy","9":"tag-african-economy","10":"tag-agriculture","11":"tag-central-african-republic","12":"tag-cocoa","13":"tag-coffee","15":"tag-eritrea"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cocoa Under Pressure as East African Economy Rises - Eritrea<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"West Africa produces nearly 70% of the world\u2019s cocoa, yet smallholder farmers in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Co\u0302t ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cocoa Under Pressure as East African Economy Rises\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"West Africa produces nearly 70% of the world\u2019s cocoa, yet smallholder farmers in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Co\u0302t ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Eritrea\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-18T19:41:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-18T20:03:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/27\/2025\/07\/sm_1752852693.054944.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"538\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Cocoa Under Pressure as East African Economy Rises\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-18T19:41:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-18T20:03:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises\"},\"wordCount\":371,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/sites\/27\/2025\/07\/sm_1752852693.054944.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"African economy\",\"agriculture\",\"Central African Republic\",\"Cocoa\",\"coffee\",\"Economic growth\",\"Eritrea\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eritrea\/all-news\/cocoa-under-pressure-as-east-african-economy-rises\",\"name\":\"Cocoa Under Pressure as East African Economy Rises - 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