Cote d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative Praises COFAAA’s Efforts to Amplify Farmers’ Voices

His Excellency, Alex Assanvo, the Executive Secretary of Cote d’ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGHCI) has lauded the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COFAAA) for its effort to amplify cocoa farmers voice in its effort push for increased production, local processing and consumption of cocoa on the continent.

In in his keynote address at the maiden global webinar of the association through his representative, Mrs Tawiah
Agyarko-Kwarteg, Deputy Executive Secretary and Technical Manager to CIGHCI.
Mrs Tawiah Agyarko-Kwarteg congratulated the President and Global Coordinator of
COFAAA- Comrade Adeola Adegoke and his team for coming up with the regional
organization to amplify the voice of the cocoa farmers which they regarded as timely and that it aligned with the vision and mission of the Cote d’ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative working for the cocoa farmers prosperity through the three pillars of sustainability; economic, social and environmental.

She explained that CIGHCI was put in place by the presidents of Cote d’ivoire and Ghana to address dire situations at some point and to jointly address remuneration through
pricing for their cocoa farmers at the two countries who are giants in cocoa production and accounted for the 70 per cent of the African cocoa production.

CIGHCI representative, Mrs. Tawiah Agyarko-Kwarteg also went further to appreciate farmers, partners and industry leaders for their participation at the webinar.

She expressed the deepest regret of H. E, Alex Assanvo for not being able to make the event in person.

Mrs. Tawiah Agyarko-Kwarteg talked about the three pillars of sustainability; socio-economic
and environmental.

“Economic sustainability is being tackled by CIGHCI through fair pricing for our cocoa farmers in Cote d’voire and Ghana to enhance their prosperity and also strengthening local processing and value addition in order to increase better values for our
cocoa farmers, Agyarko-Kwarteg said.

Tawiah also enlightened the participants at the webinar on the environmental sustainability which the organisation is tackling through providing solutions to pest and disease
affecting most cocoa producing countries e.g cocoa swollen shoot disease and coming up with a variety that is drought and pest resistant to support production with climate smart practices.

She concluded on the third pillar which is social sustainability which is to encourage strong cooperative formation at the community levels.

This is to bring about good community practice, improve their incomes through better bargaining power and deliberate empowerment of women to support their children and households.

In his opening address, the president and Global Coordinator, of COFAAA, Comrade Adeola Adegoke, stated this during the maiden global webinar of the association tagged ‘One voice, one future uniting cocoa farmers through a thriving Africa, said the way forward for Africa is through better productivity per hectare (800kg to 1000kg), sustainable practices e.g cocoa agroforestry intensification, cocoa ecosystem management, traceability, good processing techniques to achieve good flavor/premium and smart climate & soil management practices with youth inclusiveness.

He lamented that despite Africa’s significant contribution of over 70 per cent of global cocoa production, African farmers continue to grapple with economic disparity and systemic challenges that undermine their prosperity.

“The global chocolate industry, valued at over $120 billion annually, stands on the foundation of the African cocoa ecosystem.

“However, the economic benefits remain disproportionately distributed, leaving African cocoa farmers vulnerable to poverty, price volatility, and exploitative trading practices.

“COFAAA is dedicated to reversing these trends by advancing economic justice, amplifying the voices of cocoa farmers, and driving sustainable innovations that enhance the well-being of farmers and their communities in collaboration with our global cocoa institutions, partners, and cocoa origins countries’ governments working assiduously to improve the livelihoods of the cocoa farmers in Africa,” he said.

He said the maiden global webinar put in place by COFAAA is to promote and sustain African leadership in the global cocoa economy through a united voice of the smallholder cocoa farmers of Africa, increased production and productivity through sustainable practices, and enhanced collaboration amongst African cocoa stakeholders.

He said COFAAA’s commitment, contributions, and sacrifice so far have started to yield fruit through this maiden global COFAAA webinar put in place to solve the socio-economic issues around the cocoa ecosystem as it affects the livelihoods of our cocoa farmers and its impact on the global cocoa economy.

“I do know that posterity will be kind to you all in the future for your great contributions to the African cocoa sustainability and empowerment of our smallholder cocoa farmers in Africa.

“I would like to appreciate the global cocoa institutions, cocoa-producing countries’ governments, partners, and stakeholders e.g; the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CighCi), Conseil du Cafe-Cacao (CCC)- Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana Cocoa Board – Ghana, National Cocoa, and Coffee Board – Cameroon, National Cocoa Management Committee -Nigeria, etc for the good work done so far to support our cocoa farmers and maintain African cocoa production advantage regardless of the challenges our cocoa ecosystems are currently going through due to climate change.

“Good policy framework and strategic collaborations have been achieved by many of the cocoa-producing countries’ governments and institutions in Africa to support and maintain African leadership in cocoa production which is at 70% of the world cocoa production.

“Kudos to the following countries for maintaining the giant strides in cocoa production in Africa; Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Liberia, DR Congo, Togo, Kenya, etc.

“COFAAA is a distinguished pan-African membership organization that unites cocoa farmers in a collaborative effort to tackle the most pressing challenges facing the cocoa industry.

“Our mission is to champion sustainable farming practices, empower farmers, and ensure the long-term viability of the global cocoa ecosystem.

“As you are well aware, Africa’s cocoa industry is not only a key economic driver but also a symbol of our agricultural strength and heritage,” he added.