cocoa value chain - The Habari Network

Tomatoes being processed at a Burkina Faso factory as part of the nation's infant industry protection policy for agricultural self-sufficiency.

From Tomatoes to Cocoa and Textiles: Africa’s Quiet Industrial Turn

By Franco Bonghan When Burkina Faso banned fresh tomato exports to feed its own processing plants, it did more than protect a crop. It quietly repudiated...

West African cocoa farmer holding beans with chocolate bar overlay, illustrating Africa's 70% global cocoa supply versus minimal value capture as brands like Nestlé reformulate products

Opinion3 weeks ago

Nestlé’s Cocoa Cut: A Wake-Up Call for Africa’s Chocolate Industry

When a global food giant quietly reformulates its products to strip out the world's most iconic ingredient, it isn't just a story about confectionery - it's...

African cocoa farmers and processors transforming raw beans into value-added products like cocoa butter and chocolate bars at a modern facility in West Africa.

Opinion2 months ago

Africa’s Cocoa Ambition: From Commodity Supplier to Value Creator

By Mark-Anthony Johnson From raw bean to finished bar, Africa’s top producers are demanding a seat at the table – and the economics are finally catching...

Cocoa beans being processed in a Ghanaian factory for value-added export.

Opinion2 months ago

The Cocoa Paradox: Why Africa’s Trade Revolution is Stuck at the Border

By Ziad Hamoui Ghana’s president is right to call current trade arrangements neo-colonial. But diagnosis without execution changes nothing. Ghana produces the cocoa. Switzerland pockets US$130...

Pile of raw cocoa beans next to a wrapped chocolate bar, illustrating the value-added processing gap.

Opinion4 months ago

The Cocoa Paradox: Why Africa Processes What It Doesn’t Consume

By Juwon Akin-Olotu My father posed a deceptively simple question over dinner recently, one that cuts to the heart of West Africa’s agricultural conundrum: Why are...

Cocoa beans and rice crops representing the Ivory Coast–Ghana alliance for regional trade and economic growth

Opinion7 months ago

AfCFTA in Action: How the Ivory Coast-Ghana Agro-Industrial Alliance Is Reshaping West Africa’s Agricultural Future

By Ziad Hamoui In a landmark move for regional integration, the African Union Commission (AUC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, and the...

Workers processing copper in Zambia, symbolizing Africa’s struggle to capture value from global electric vehicle battery demand.

Opinion7 months ago

Africa Trades – But Who Really Captures the Value?

By Kelly Mua Kingsly Africa’s trade volume is surging – its exports to global markets reached record highs in 2024. Yet beneath the headline numbers lies...