The Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA) has used its 2026 National Chocolate Week celebrations to make an urgent case for deeper investment in Ghana’s cocoa processing sector, warning that the country continues to surrender enormous economic value by exporting raw beans rather than finished chocolate products.
The week-long celebration, which formed part of the Authority’s 30th anniversary programme, culminated in a product exhibition and stakeholder engagement at the Authority’s forecourt in Accra, bringing together cocoa processing companies, media partners, and industry guests under the theme “Celebrating Ghana’s Cocoa Heritage the Free Zones Way: Taste, Learn and Enjoy.”
As of January 2026, the GFZA had licensed 20 cocoa processing companies operating across the full value chain, producing cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, cocoa powder, confectionery, beverages, skincare inputs, and by-products. Licensed companies generated approximately 1.8 billion United States dollars in export earnings in 2025 and provided direct employment to nearly 1,900 Ghanaians, with additional indirect employment created across packaging, logistics, catering, and farming communities.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the GFZA in charge of Finance and Administration, Musa Sibiri Hamidu, told guests and staff that the celebration is held annually to coincide with National Chocolate Day on February 14, which is observed nationwide to promote local cocoa consumption, industry growth, and national pride. He stressed that the Authority’s ambition extends beyond celebrating what has been achieved, noting that existing enterprises must expand their operations while prospective investors are being actively invited to enter the sector through the Free Zones framework.
The GFZA’s investment pitch rests on a package of incentives that includes duty-free importation of machinery and inputs, corporate tax holidays, unrestricted repatriation of profits, and streamlined licensing processes designed to reduce the administrative burden on export-oriented manufacturers.
The broader national cocoa promotion effort was also reflected in a separate launch of the 2026 National Chocolate Month by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, which brought together the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC). The ministry’s Director for Tourism, Geoffrey Tamakloe, described cocoa as a symbol of Ghana’s agricultural excellence, tourism identity, and economic resilience, urging Ghanaians to deliberately choose locally produced chocolate to sustain farming families and keep economic value within the country.
The GFZA acknowledged exhibitors and sponsors including the Cocoa Processing Company, Plot Enterprise, Niche Cocoa, Cargill, Koa Impact, Olam Ghana, HPW Fresh and Dry, and FairAfrique, several of whom demonstrated innovation through products such as chocolate-coated nuts and cocoa pulp juice, illustrating the expanding commercial potential of cocoa by-products.
Ghana contributes an estimated 20 to 25 percent of global cocoa output but captures only a fraction of the industry’s final value, a gap the GFZA says can only be closed through sustained investment in processing capacity, product diversification, and premium branding.
