The Essential
- The Four African Cocoa-Producing Countries Unite
The capital of Nigeria welcomed a historic summit on July 14, 2026. Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria signed the Abuja Declaration, creating the Alliance for Cocoa Value Chain Transformation. According to Pulse Ghana, these four states produce alone more than sixty percent of the world’s cocoa.
A New Approach
The summit ‘From Bean to Brand’ – literally ‘from bean to brand’ – was organized by the Nigerian Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. Minister of State John Owan Enoh chaired the sessions, according to The Nation Online.
According to BusinessDay Nigeria, the objective is harmonizing production norms, coordinating national policies and negotiating with international buyers as a bloc.
A Common Response to European Regulation
The alliance aims to coordinate a common response to the EU’s Forest Governance Regulation (EUDR), which will take effect on December 30, 2026, according to Punch Nigeria. This text requires importers from Europe to prove the origin of raw materials and their non-contribution to deforestation.
A New Product
The alliance aims to shift from exporting raw beans to transforming local products with added value like chocolate or cocoa butter. The summit presented a project for an 70,000-tonne transformation facility at Sagamu in Ogun State, Nigeria, developed by Sunbeth Global Concepts and scheduled for 2027, according to BusinessDay Nigeria.
A National Commitment
Nigeria commits via a national accord to set measurable targets to stimulate its own local transformation, according to The Guardian Nigeria. The country wants to catch up with Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, which already have infrastructure for grinding.
A Context in Côte d’Ivoire
Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s top cocoa producer, accounting for about 40% of global supply. The Cocoa Council regulates the industry from Abidjan. The country has developed a local transformation capacity but most beans still go to Europe and Asia for grinding and processing.
Next Steps
The operational implementation of the alliance will begin in the coming months, with the establishment of a coordination structure between the four countries. The first test will be negotiating together against the EUDR regulation, which takes effect on December 30, 2026.
