The Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) Ghana Limited has secured firm offtake commitments in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for Ghana’s semi-finished cocoa products, strengthening the country’s efforts to expand domestic value addition under President John Dramani Mahama’s target of processing 50 per cent of Ghana’s cocoa locally.
The commitments were secured by CMC Managing Director, Wisdom Kofi Dogbey (D.Min, D.Hum), during a series of engagements with leading Gulf commodities institutions and processing organisations.
The agreements are expected to guarantee demand for cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa cake and cocoa powder produced from Ghana’s existing, but currently underutilised, processing capacity.
By securing buyers ahead of increased production, CMC aims to address one of the biggest commercial challenges of the government’s value-addition agenda—ensuring higher domestic processing translates into reliable export earnings rather than unsold stock.
Dubai: Building a Value Chain
In Dubai, Dr. Dogbey met with the leadership of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) coffee and tea membership, which operates a fully integrated model that sources raw materials directly from producers and converts them into finished consumer products.
A dedicated DMCC cocoa membership is expected to be launched, and both parties viewed the discussions as a model for integrating Ghana’s cocoa into similar value chains across the region.
Senior DMCC executive Ahmad Hamza described the proposed expansion of Ghana’s cocoa exports to the UAE as a win-win partnership.
He said the DMCC ecosystem provides an enabling environment for businesses to operate efficiently, citing its coffee and tea membership as a successful example of a complete raw-material-to-finished-product value chain.
According to him, replicating the same model for cocoa would boost exports of Ghanaian semi-finished cocoa products to DMCC’s cocoa members, connecting Ghana directly with an established network of processors and traders.
For Ghana, the partnership offers an opportunity to expand exports of semi-finished cocoa products into Middle Eastern and Asian markets, reducing dependence on European grinders while strengthening the country’s position in negotiating origin premiums and price differentials.
Riyadh: Supporting Vision 2030
In Riyadh, discussions also resulted in commitments to import Ghanaian cocoa products into Saudi Arabia as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 food sustainability agenda.
Aligning Ghana’s cocoa exports with Saudi Arabia’s food security and economic diversification strategy is expected to provide a stable, long-term market for Ghana’s semi-finished cocoa products.
Saudi Arabia’s growing confectionery and food-processing industries also position the Kingdom as an increasingly important destination for value-added cocoa products.
Maximising Existing Capacity
Officials explained that the government’s value-addition policy does not depend on constructing new processing plants. Instead, it seeks to maximise the use of existing processing facilities that currently operate below capacity.
Guaranteed export markets for semi-finished cocoa products are expected to help increase utilisation of these facilities while reducing the risk of producing goods without ready buyers.
As Ghana’s sole authorised cocoa exporter, CMC’s role is evolving under Dr. Dogbey’s leadership—from marketing raw cocoa beans to building strategic commercial partnerships that support increased local processing.
The agreements reached with partners in the Gulf represent a significant step towards that goal and demonstrate growing confidence in Ghana’s value-addition strategy from two of the world’s fastest-growing markets.
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