An ambitious and strategic project for many experts, the creation of a cocoa exchange in Africa, in a context where the African continent accounts for approximately 75% of global cocoa bean production, could rebalance the economic balance of power in favor of producing countries. To this end, experts call for strengthened regional cooperation, rigorous governance, and massive investments in infrastructure. The cocoa exchange could also contribute to an improvement in production and complete control of the value chain.
With production estimated at over 75%, Africa, the world’s leading cocoa producer, aims to gain greater control over this market dominated by other powers. To this end, the International Cocoa Council launched the African Cocoa Exchange pilot project in Cameroon on April 10, 2025. This took place during the 111th meeting of the International Cocoa Council. According to industry experts, this exchange should promote price stabilization, promote local production, economic empowerment, market transparency, and also enable improvements to the value chain.
It is up to us, the producing countries, as well as consumers and the industry, to sit down and now find solutions that can be implemented quickly for the benefit of all stakeholders in the value chain. We had estimated that the small cocoa producer in Asia, Latin America and Africa was the weak link in this chain.
Aly Touré, Permanent Representative to the ICCO
On the continent, the creation of a cocoa exchange should also, in the opinion of some experts, allow producers to be better remunerated, reduce dependence on foreign markets and gain economic sovereignty according to experts.
There are two categories of priorities. There are structural challenges and there are cyclical challenges. Structural challenges concern the sustainability of the global cocoa economy.
Aly Touré, Permanent Representative to the ICCO
Although the idea of a cocoa exchange in Africa is promising, its implementation is complex and fraught with obstacles, according to some African decision-makers. The creation of this exchange is, according to some experts, hampered by a lack of suitable infrastructure, difficult regional coordination, dependence on global markets, and a lack of reliable data and training.
There are six countries that contribute 70 to 75 percent of global production. There is Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, and Gabon. The world’s leading cocoa producer is Ivory Coast. Then there is Ghana. The third country is in Asia, Indonesia. In Ivory Coast and other African countries in general, they produce normal cocoa. In Latin countries like Ecuador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic, they produce fine cocoa, which is another type of cocoa that is much more sought-after and much more expensive on the international market.
Aly Touré, Permanent Representative to the ICCO
According to some analyses, the creation of a cocoa exchange in Africa would not only benefit governments or businesses. Local populations, and especially producers, would reap tangible benefits. Producers will benefit from this initiative through fairer and more stable incomes; farmers should also see an improvement in their living conditions; and numerous jobs will be created through local processing.
