Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire sign a landmark deal to harmonise cocoa producer prices

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Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have signed a landmark agreement to harmonise cocoa producer pricing policies.

According to the joint statement, the move is to improve farmers’ incomes, stabilise the market, and strengthen cooperation between the world’s two largest cocoa-producing countries.

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 Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minister for Finance, announced the decision on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, after the 7th Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI), held in Abidjan.

Ghana’s Finance Minister stated, “The two countries agreed to harmonise farm gate prices through some measures”.

He disclosed that the agreement includes stronger market cooperation through enhanced collaboration between trading rooms, increased data sharing, and the harmonisation of crop year calendars.

Also, the two countries agreed to align the principles used in determining cocoa prices to reduce disparities in producer prices.

Dr Ato Forson also disclosed that Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire had agreed to officially harmonise their cocoa crop calendars beginning with the 2026/2027 marketing season, which will run from September 1 to August 31.

In a post shared by X by Ghana’s Finance Minister, Ato Forson, sharing the joint declaration between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire stated, “CÔTE D’IVOIRE-GHANA HIGH-LEVEL SUMMIT ON COCOA ECONOMY

JOINT DECLARATION

At the meeting in Abidjan on June 16, 2026, on the occasion of the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana High-Level Summit on the Future of the Cocoa Economy, H.E. Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, and H.E. John Dramani MAHAMA, President of the Republic of Ghana, renewed their shared commitment to promoting a sustainable cocoa economy, placing the farmer at the center of priorities for sector governance and value sharing.

This commitment is built on the Abidjan Declaration of March 26, 2018, which serves as the foundation for cooperation between the two States in the cocoa sector.

Following a review of the progress made in recent years, the two Heads of State:

* Considering that Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana account for about 60% of global cocoa production, which confers upon them shared leadership and a special responsibility for the future of the sector;

* Recognizing that notable achievements of their joint efforts are the creation of the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI), the establishment of the Living Income Differential (LID), the harmonization of marketing and price announcements to producers, the implementation of traceability and the African Regional Standards for Sustainable Cocoa (ARS-1000), and the cooperation between research institutes to combat the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD);

* Aware that the sector remains exposed to major challenges such as price volatility, illegal gold mining, adverse effects of climate change, the rise in the use of cocoa substitutes and equivalents, and the increasing demands of international sustainability regulations;

* Aware that Africa, which accounts for about 80% of global production, still captures only a marginal share of the value in the cocoa-chocolate supply chain;

* Convinced that fair remuneration for farmers is a pillar of the sector’s sustainability and a requirement for economic justice and social stability.

Consequently, agree to:

• Harmonize farm-gate price policies to optimize producer remuneration, stabilize the market and strengthen their commercial cooperation through several key measures, including market synergy, the alignment of premiums and the harmonization of crop-season calendars;

• Guarantee producers fair and decent remuneration and place them at the heart of the cocoa value chain;

• Strengthen scientific cooperation with a focus to the integrated management of cocoa diseases, especially Swollen Shoot;

• Create added value by increasing processing capacity, encouraging regional and continental trade, and stimulating national and regional consumption of cocoa-based products;

• Expand the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative to other African countries, to enhance regional cooperation, harmonize sector policies, strengthen collective bargaining power on global markets, and coordinate responses to the emerging challenges of the cocoa economy”.

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