https://en.sputniknews.africa/20260820/africas-cocoa-comeback-turning-a-golden-crop-into-a-golden-future-1088459015.html
Africa's Cocoa Comeback: Turning a Golden Crop into a Golden Future
Africa's Cocoa Comeback: Turning a Golden Crop into a Golden Future
Sputnik Africa
While Africa grows the bulk of the world’s cocoa, the chocolate wealth is made elsewhere. This episode explores the gap between the abundance and agency of the... 20.08.2026, Sputnik Africa
2026-08-20T16:23+0200
2026-08-20T16:23+0200
2026-08-20T16:23+0200
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Africa's Cocoa Comeback: Turning a Golden Crop into a Golden Future
Sputnik Africa
While Africa grows the bulk of the world’s cocoa, the chocolate wealth is made elsewhere. This episode explores the gap between the abundance and agency of the world’s largest producers and the bold moves that could finally turn cocoa into real African prosperity.
One of the most uncomfortable ironies in global trade is that Africa supplies roughly 70 percent of the raw cocoa that powers a global chocolate industry worth over one hundred billion dollars. Yet the farmers who grow the bean receive just a piece of that wealth, and the continent’s producing nations capture only a small fraction of the industry’s final value. Dr. Patrick Adebola, senior Agricultural Scientist, and former Executive Director of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, joins the conversation on Pan-African Frequency to explain why Africa’s cocoa dominance has not translated into real market power and what must change for the continent to stop feeding a value chain it does not control.Looking ahead, the expert highlighted the strategies that African countries can adopt to enhance cocoa production while also increasing their share in the global cocoa market.Discover more insights from our outstanding guest on the Pan-African Frequency podcast, proudly brought to you by Sputnik Africa.In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on Telegram.► You can also listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, and Podcast Addict► Check out all the episodes of Pan-African Frequency
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sputnik africa, africa, podcasts, cocoa, trade, pan-africanism, african continental free trade area (afcfta), nigeria, ghana, cote d'ivoire (ivory coast), cameroon, chocolate, farmers, аудио
sputnik africa, africa, podcasts, cocoa, trade, pan-africanism, african continental free trade area (afcfta), nigeria, ghana, cote d'ivoire (ivory coast), cameroon, chocolate, farmers, аудио
Africa's Cocoa Comeback: Turning a Golden Crop into a Golden Future
While Africa grows the bulk of the world’s cocoa, the chocolate wealth is made elsewhere. This episode explores the gap between the abundance and agency of the world’s largest producers and the bold moves that could finally turn cocoa into real African prosperity.
One of the most uncomfortable ironies in global trade is that Africa supplies roughly 70 percent of the raw cocoa that powers a global chocolate industry worth over one hundred billion dollars. Yet the farmers who grow the bean receive just a piece of that wealth, and the continent’s producing nations capture only a small fraction of the industry’s final value. Dr. Patrick Adebola, senior Agricultural Scientist, and former Executive Director of the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, joins the conversation on Pan-African Frequency to explain why Africa’s cocoa dominance has not translated into real market power and what must change for the continent to stop feeding a value chain it does not control.
“African nations lack the infrastructure to grind and refine our own cocoa beans into liquor, into butter, into powder. And therefore, we have to sell to these people we call the gatekeepers at prevailing global market prices [...] Good roads, good rail connections, good electricity, all these things are some of the various things you put in place to encourage local value addition in cocoa,” Dr. Adebola pointed out.
Looking ahead, the expert highlighted the strategies that African countries can adopt to enhance cocoa production while also increasing their share in the global cocoa market.
The first thing we need to do is to shift away from exporting raw cocoa beans. We need to process it into liquor, into butter, and into powder. And how can we do this? Infrastructural deficits we need to address. Address the issue of electricity, the issue of roads, rail networks, communications [...] The alliances we are forming are also very good. You can form coordinated trade alliances like the one that has just happened, the Abuja Declaration. It is a good thing [...] we need to invest more in rehabilitation of old plantations. Some plantations are more than 50 years old, 60 years old. And therefore, their productivity has declined over the years. The governments need to invest in rehabilitating these old plantations, either by cutting them or by replacing them with high-yielding materials that are being produced. [...] Farmer education and strong extension services are also needed in order to make sure that we boost our production and the sector remains vibrant and sustainable, the expert indicated.
Discover more insights from our outstanding guest on the Pan-African Frequency podcast, proudly brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
In addition to the website, you can also catch our episodes on
Telegram.► Check out all the episodes of Pan-African Frequency 
