From Pilot to National Rollout – Ghana´s Cocoa Traceability System
Ghana is advancing cocoa sustainability with its new traceability system, tracking beans from farm to port. Backed by EU and German support, significant progress has been made in mapping farms and training farmers and supply chain actors to meet upcoming EU deforestation-free regulations—positioning Ghana as a West African model for transparent and sustainable cocoa trade.
Ghana has made significant progress in tracking cocoa beans from farm to port with the rollout of the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System GCTS. Ghana’s approach to cocoa traceability is a model in West Africa. With GCTS expansion, collaboration with EU partners, and farmer incentives, the country is poised to remain a top exporter of sustainable cocoa. Developed by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD – the main regulator of the cocoa industry in Ghana) as part of its broader digitalization agenda, the system was accelerated to align with the EU Regulation for Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), set to take effect in December 2025. A pilot phase in the Assin Fosu district, under the Cocoa Management System, has so far mapped over 40,000 farms and registered more than 20,000 farmers, with women making up 40% of the participants. Moreover, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to guide the digital trade of cocoa from the farm to the port has been developed and used at the farmer, purchasing clerk, depot keeper and transporter levels.
Training Ghana’s cocoa sector for full traceability
Over 4,000 farmers have been sensitized on the SOPs to ensure they understand the benefits and requirements of the new system, helping them to adapt quickly and make informed decisions. In addition, more than 1,500 purchasing clerks, depot keepers, and transporters have received targeted training to promote transparency, efficiency, and proper handling throughout the supply chain. During the 2023/2024 lean season, the system enabled the successful purchase, grading, and export of over 1,230 bags (equivalent to 77.3 tons) of sustainable cocoa; enough to produce nearly 1 million standard 100-gram chocolate bars or over 1.5 million cups of hot chocolate. Currently, a dry run of the system with eight Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) commanding 60% of the total internal purchase has been rolled out to get all LBCs battle-ready for full implementation. A farm-farmer data collection exercise will be conducted as a mop-up activity to ensure total coverage of farmers before the final kick-off in August. These efforts aim to unlock higher-value EU markets, stimulate smallholder incomes, and shield national production from smuggling.
Support by the EU and Germany
These milestones were achieved with financial support from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), complemented by technical assistance from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and COCOBOD, as part of the Sustainable Cocoa Programme (SCP).