Omanghana
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has accused some officials within Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) of using government funds to purchase smuggled cocoa beans from Côte d’Ivoire instead of buying cocoa from local Ghanaian farmers. According to the regulator, the illegal practice has become widespread in four regions along Ghana’s border with Côte d’Ivoire.
COCOBOD explained that the scheme is being driven by a significant price difference between cocoa in the two countries. A bag of cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire currently sells for around GH¢1,200, while Ghana’s guaranteed farmgate price stands at GH¢2,587 per bag. This gap has created an opportunity for some cocoa purchasing clerks to make illegal profits by using funds meant for Ghanaian farmers to buy the cheaper Ivorian cocoa through intermediaries and keep the difference.
The Licensed Cocoa Buyers Association of Ghana has distanced itself from the allegations, saying the illegal activity is not company policy but rather the result of personal greed by some individual clerks.
The issue has worsened an ongoing liquidity crisis in Ghana’s cocoa sector, leaving many local farmers unpaid for cocoa they delivered as far back as November 2025. COCOBOD said the diversion of funds away from Ghanaian farmers has increased financial pressure on producers who depend on timely payments for their livelihoods.
The board also warned that the mixing of lower-quality smuggled cocoa with Ghanaian beans could damage Ghana’s long-standing reputation for producing premium cocoa, which usually attracts higher prices on the international market.
In a surprising reversal of historical trends, COCOBOD noted that while cocoa was once commonly smuggled out of Ghana into neighboring countries like Togo and Côte d’Ivoire, the current situation means Ghana is now indirectly supporting Ivorian cocoa producers through state-backed funds.
As part of efforts to tackle the issue, COCOBOD’s anti-smuggling unit recently arrested four suspects and seized more than 100 bags of smuggled Ivorian cocoa in the Dormaa West District. The board has launched formal investigations and warned that any Licensed Buying Company found to be involved at the institutional level will face strict penalties.
Source: Omanghana
