Dangote wants to process 500,000 tonnes of Ghana's cocoa, Forson says, but no deal is signed

Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote has approached the government about using Ghana as a hub for processing cocoa, with talks under way on a proposed contract covering 500,000 metric tonnes, Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson says.

Dr Forson made the claim on JoyNews' PM Express on Thursday, November 12, after presenting the 2027 Budget to Parliament, MyJoyOnline reports. No contract has been signed, and the minister said the terms were still being examined.

What Forson said

Dr Forson first said "a major businessperson operating in the sub-region" had reached out "to sign a contract for 500,000 metric tonnes of cocoa value addition here in Ghana", before naming Mr Dangote, according to MyJoyOnline.

"He reached out to me. He reached out to His Excellency the President. He's ready to come to Ghana," the minister said.

"We are going through the terms, and they want to sign a contract," he added. The reports give no timeline or value for the proposed investment. According to Dr Forson, Mr Dangote believes he could help Ghana process more than 50 per cent of its cocoa locally by 2028.

The processing target

The 2027 Budget Statement says: "Ghana will process at least 50 percent of its cocoa locally by 2028 and 100 percent by 2030, completing the transition towards a ban on raw cocoa exports."

Dr Forson said a new Cocoa Board Act before Parliament contains a mandatory local-processing requirement, and that a legislative instrument would set the timetable for moving from 50 to 100 per cent, MyJoyOnline reports.

In February 2026, Cabinet directed that at least half of cocoa beans be processed locally from the 2026/27 crop season, alongside plans to revive the state-owned Cocoa Processing Company, according to MyJoyOnline.

"Come and buy our cocoa beans, but add value here in Ghana," Dr Forson said. In the same interview he said Ghana spends about US$3.5 billion a year importing food, adding: "It cannot continue."

Nigeria's Nairametrics, which also reported the minister's remarks, notes that Mr Dangote has invested in rice milling in Jigawa State and signed a fertiliser plant agreement with Ethiopia.

What's next

MyJoyOnline reported on November 8 that Mr Dangote will join President Mahama to open the Invest Ghana Summit 2026 in Accra on November 16 and 17.

GhEcho has seen no statement from the Dangote Group or COCOBOD on the proposal.