Cameroon, Nigeria to join Ivory-Ghana-led Cocoa cartel, boosting growers’ leverage

Cameroon and Nigeria have requested to join the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI), a joint body spearheading the interests of the two countries in the Cocoa trade — if both countries are admitted, the initiative will represent about two-thirds of global Cocoa production.
The initiative was set up after a 2018 declaration by Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s first and second-largest cocoa producers, on willingness to define a common sustainable Cocoa strategy that would raise prices paid to farmers. Representatives from Cameroon and Nigeria were invited to a CIGCI meeting in Abidjan to begin the process of joining the initiative, the head of the initiative Alex Assanvo told reporters after the meeting on Wednesday (12 October). “With Cameroon and Nigeria we are going to represent around 75% of global cocoa production,” says Yves Brahima Kone, CEO of the Ivory Coast Cocoa and Coffee Council. “This will allow us to have more leeway in discussions with the industry on imposing a decent price for our cocoa farmers.”
Nigeria took the first step in May this year when a high-powered government delegation visited Accra to enquire about the process for joining the bloc. The founding parties made it clear from the onset that their intention was to get on board other cocoa producing nations, particularly in Africa, in order to create a formidable force in the cocoa trade.