Ghana’s government will acquire 200,000 hectares of land for cocoa cultivation by year’s end, officials announced Friday.
The bold initiative, unveiled by Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson, aims to revitalise a struggling sector once hailed as the nation’s economic backbone.
Cocoa production in Ghana, the world’s second-largest supplier, has plummeted to a 20-year low, battered by climate change, disease, and rampant illegal mining.
The Ministry of Finance said in a statement on X that the land will supplement smallholder farms and help stabilise long-term output.
Forson, who sits on the board of the sector’s regulator, called for urgent, decisive action to reverse the sharp decline in yields.
National output has fallen from one million metric tons to around 500,000 tons in recent years, sparking concern across global markets.
The planned expansion is part of broader reforms to safeguard Ghana’s cocoa legacy and support rural economies tied to the crop.
Analysts say success will depend on how effectively the state balances expansion with environmental and community rights.
Ghana’s government has not yet disclosed where the land will be acquired or how compensation will be handled.
Still, for many, the move signals hope that Ghana’s cocoa belt may yet bloom again.