Afarinick signs LOI with Meiji to develop agroforestry cocoa farm in Ghana

Ghanaian-owned farm and agri-forest restoration company Afarinick Company Limited (ACL) has entered into a partnership with Japan’s Meiji Co., Ltd. to promote sustainable and circular practices in Ghana’s cocoa value chain.

The two companies signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) in Accra on Monday, September 14, 2026, during a ceremony marking 100 years of Meiji Milk Chocolate and the company’s longstanding relationship with Ghana.

The event brought together representatives of the Government of Ghana, the Ghana Cocoa Board, the Embassy of Japan and other stakeholders.

Joe Forson, Executive Chairman of Afarinick Company Limited, and Bunjiro Yao, President and Representative Director of Meiji Co., Ltd., signed the agreement.

Under the LOI, the two companies will work towards developing an agroforestry cacao farm in Ghana, with the utilisation of farm plant waste forming a key part of the initiative.

The partnership will also focus on developing a circular agroforestry cacao model that combines cocoa production with agroforestry and the productive use of materials generated within the farming system.

Afarinick operates in farm management, forest restoration, sustainable agriculture, reforestation and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), among other areas.

The company also owns a 2,000-acre sustainable cocoa plantation in the Volta Region, where cocoa is cultivated alongside plantain and indigenous trees. The plantation also incorporates irrigation and sustainable land-management practices.

The partnership with Meiji is expected to explore ways of making greater use of plant waste generated from cocoa farming while improving the sustainability of production.

The initiative is intended to serve as a model for combining cocoa production, agroforestry and circular resource use within the cocoa value chain.

The companies said the partnership would contribute to discussions around resource efficiency and sustainable cocoa production in Ghana.

The agreement also provides an opportunity for Afarinick to work with an international food company on the development of sustainable agricultural practices in Ghana’s cocoa sector.