Ghana, Ivory Coast sign robust cocoa agreement to dominate trade, increase benefits to 2 nations

Ghana and Ivory Coast have signed an agreement which will see the two take steps to boost production by conducting joint research, reduce smuggling, enforce standards including a ban on use of Child Labour in cocoa production, reward farmers, bargain together inasmuch as the cocoa industry is concerned.

The joint agreement sighted by MyNewsGh.com will see the two top cocoa nations continue the cutting of Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus infected trees in their respective countries; with an additional agreement to collect data that link cocoa farmers to their farms.

They also resolved to collaborate in the fight against worst forms of child labour and to take up the duty of Education in the West African subregion on cocoa consumption.

The agreement was signed in Ivory Coast by the two countries’ cocoa bosses was translated into French and signed by both countries representatives on behalf of Presidents Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast.

The two leaders in a historic meeting agreed the best way to make the best out of cocoa was not by unhealthy competition, but by a trusted partnership which has seen the two leaders collaborate in many ways.

The partnership has been under the aegis of the Chief Executive Officer of the COCOBOD, Mr. Boahen Aidoo.

See the full communiqué:

In June 2018, the Ghana Cocoa Board and the Le Conseil du Café-Cacao met in Abidjan to adopt a Strategic Plan for executing the Abidjan Declaration of the Heads of State of the Republic of Ghana and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa AKUFO-ADDO, and His Excellence Mr Alassane OUATTARA respectively, made on 26th March 2018. The Strategic Plan outlines broadly the strategic areas of action and hence requires precise activities for implementation. The meeting in Accra from 10th to 11th September 2018 adopted a Comprehensive Implementation Plan and concretised details of the specific actions for achieving the vision of the two Heads of States.

At the end of the meeting the two parties;

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• Agreed to conduct a study to determine the floor price of cocoa.

• Constituted a joint committee for the promotion of cocoa consumption in both countries and across the West African sub-region