Africa-Press – Ghana. The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), with support from the European Union (EU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has launched the Ghana Cocoa Monitor to tackle the sector’s challenges.
The monitoring system is a structural platform designed to guide sustainable cocoa production through coordinated action, robust data, and inclusive dialogue.
COCOBOD, with financial support from the EU and technical and financial support from FAO Investment Centre under the EU Sustainable Cocoa Initiative and Programme, led the establishment of the Ghana Cocoa Monitor System.
The system was built on the 2003 Maputo Declaration and the 2012 ICCO World Cocoa Conference, which urged cocoa-producing countries to establish public-private partnerships for the development and implementation of national cocoa plans.
Ms. Priya Gujadhur, Food and Agriculture Organization Representative in Ghana, said that over the years, Ghana had taken steps to improve the environmental, economic, and social outcomes of its cocoa value chain.
However, challenges, notably climate vulnerability, deforestation, child labour, and the absence of proper remuneration for farmers, remained persistent and complex.
She said despite previous efforts to address these challenges by government agencies and the private sector, the lack of coordination among these actors had led to duplication, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities.
The Representative noted that the cocoa monitoring platform would ensure inclusive dialogue and align all cocoa sustainability efforts among all the actors within the cocoa sector.
Mr. Irchad Razaaly, EU Ambassador to Ghana, said the monitoring system would provide a platform for relevant dialogue for stakeholders to advance Ghana’s cocoa sector.
“The platform is the only body where all relevant stakeholders will be represented to facilitate meaningful dialogue between public and private stakeholders, development partners, and civil society, addressing systemic challenges and fostering best practices and collaborative decision-making,” he said.
He added that the monitoring platform would drive transparency in the cocoa sector, ensuring environmental sustainability, traceability, and addressing child labour concerns.
The Ambassador said after several interactions with farmers in the cocoa sector, the cocoa monitoring system, according to the farmers, represented a renewed commitment through the establishment of an umbrella body for cocoa farmers and other stakeholders.
Mr. Simon Crown, Representing Dr. James Kofi Kutsoati, Deputy Chief Executive (Operations), COCOBOD, said that cocoa was not just a crop in Ghana, but it was a national treasure, woven into the fabric of the economy.
He said the cocoa monitor system would provide policymakers with real-time insights into most of the decisions and policies that they were going to set to improve the cocoa sector.
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