Ghana is planning to raise $1 billion through domestic bonds to fund cocoa purchases from farmers ahead of the 2026/2027 crop season, as the country seeks to overhaul how it finances and delivers cocoa to global buyers.
This is according to Bloomberg, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the discussions.
Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, has been faced with severe market volatility and funding pressures caused by the steep fall in cocoa prices after the commodity’s historic rally in 2024, forcing the government of the West African nation to rethink funding arrangements for its farmers and cocoa purchases.
According to Randy Abbey, the head of the industry regulator, the Ghana Cocoa Board, the bond, expected before the new cocoa season begins around August, would be denominated in the country’s currency, the cedi, as part of efforts to reduce the country’s overdependence on dollar funding and foreign lenders.
Abbey said Ghana believes current borrowing conditions are favourable enough for the country to access the domestic debt market, amid easing inflation and declining interest rates.
“We are looking at funding the entire crop. We believe that the interest rates in Ghana now are at the right place for us to go into the market.”
He made the remarks at the Africa Cocoa Investment Forum in London on Wednesday.
Abbey added that the move is also intended to create a more stable funding regime for Ghana’s cocoa industry, which has struggled with repayment pressures tied to trader-backed loans used over the years to finance cocoa purchases from farmers.
