President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana and President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the cocoa sector and improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers across the two countries following a high-level summit held in Abidjan on June 16, 2026.
The renewed commitment was captured in a Joint Declaration adopted during the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana High-Level Summit on the Future of the Cocoa Economy, where the two leaders pledged to promote a sustainable and profitable cocoa economy with farmers placed at the centre of decision-making and value sharing.
The declaration builds on the historic Abidjan Declaration signed on March 26, 2018, which laid the foundation for strategic cooperation between the world’s two largest cocoa-producing nations.
In the joint declaration, the two leaders noted that Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire together account for about 60 percent of global cocoa production, giving them what they described as a shared leadership role and special responsibility for the future of the cocoa industry.
The two Heads of State acknowledged several achievements recorded through their collaboration over the years, including the establishment of the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI), the introduction of the Living Income Differential (LID), the harmonisation of cocoa price announcements to farmers, the implementation of traceability systems and the African Regional Standards for Sustainable Cocoa (ARS-1000), as well as strengthened cooperation between research institutions in the fight against Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD).
Despite these gains, the leaders recognised that the cocoa sector continues to face significant challenges, including price volatility on the international market, illegal mining activities, the adverse effects of climate change, the growing use of cocoa substitutes and equivalents, and increasingly stringent international sustainability regulations.
The declaration further highlighted concerns that although Africa produces about 80 percent of the world’s cocoa, the continent continues to receive only a marginal share of the value generated across the global cocoa and chocolate supply chain.
The two Presidents stressed that fair remuneration for cocoa farmers remains essential to the long-term sustainability of the sector and is necessary for economic justice and social stability.
As part of the agreements reached, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire pledged to harmonise their farm-gate pricing policies in order to optimise producer earnings, stabilise the market and deepen commercial cooperation. The measures will include greater market synergy, alignment of premiums and harmonisation of cocoa crop calendars.
The two countries also committed themselves to guaranteeing fair and decent remuneration for cocoa farmers and ensuring producers remain at the heart of the cocoa value chain.
In addition, the declaration called for enhanced scientific collaboration, particularly in the integrated management of cocoa diseases, with special emphasis on combating the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease, which continues to threaten cocoa production in West Africa.
The two leaders further agreed to promote value addition by expanding cocoa processing capacity, encouraging regional and continental trade, and stimulating the consumption of cocoa-based products within Africa.
A major outcome of the summit was the decision to expand the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative to other African cocoa-producing countries. According to the declaration, the expansion is intended to strengthen regional cooperation, harmonise sector policies, increase collective bargaining power on global markets and coordinate responses to emerging challenges facing the cocoa economy.
President Mahama and President Ouattara expressed confidence that deeper cooperation among African cocoa-producing countries would contribute to building a more sustainable, equitable and resilient cocoa sector capable of delivering greater benefits to farmers and national economies across the continent.
The Joint Declaration was signed in Abidjan on June 16, 2026, by President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire and President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana.
