Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Cameroon formally launched the Cocoa Value Addition Alliance on July 14, pledging to coordinate policies and strengthen their bargaining power. The four nations, which produce nearly 66% of global cocoa, consequently agreed to harmonize farm-gate pricing and align marketing seasons starting in 2026/27.

The Abuja Declaration marks a turning point. For too long, the ministers acknowledged, African producers arrived at negotiating tables one by one, vulnerable to being weighed against each other.

From today, however, they will speak with one voice on trade rules, sustainability standards and the European Union’s deforestation regulation (EUDR).

Related/ El Niño threatens West African cocoa recovery

The Alliance committed to securing recognition of national traceability systems and defending the principle that compliance costs must not fall on smallholder farmers.

The Bank of Industry will therefore open a dedicated financing window for cocoa processing, prioritizing projects that include smallholders.

The timing proves critical. Cocoa prices swung wildly from $13,000 per ton in December 2024 to $3,000 in February before rebounding to $6,000 this week.

Meanwhile, the EUDR takes effect for large operators on December 30, requiring plot-level traceability for all cocoa entering the European market.

The ministers resolved to transform this cocoa windfall into processing plants and traceability infrastructure rather than consumption. « The cost of sustainability must be carried by the whole chain that profits from cocoa, » they declared, « not pressed down onto the shoulders of the smallest farmer. »

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