The final leg of Cocoa Marketing Company (Ghana) Limited’s Staff Durbar is held in Accra brings a series of engagements across the Company’s operational locations to a close Led by Managing Director, Dr. Wisdom Kofi Dogbey.
The Management team, the Accra session provides another important opportunity to engage staff, strengthen alignment, and reinforce the collective responsibility required to deliver on CMC’s mandate within Ghana’s cocoa value chain.
Beyond internal engagement, the Staff Durbar reflects CMC’s commitment to building a well-informed, responsive and performance-driven workforce capable of supporting efficient cocoa operations, serving industry stakeholders and contributing meaningfully to the continued strength of Ghana’s cocoa sector.
As the nationwide engagement concludes, the focus remains on translating dialogue into action, strengthening collaboration across departments and locations, and ensuring every staff member understands their role in moving Ghana’s cocoa efficiently from origin to market.
The Accra durbar marks the end of a tour that has taken the leadership to Tema and other operational hubs, where Dr. Dogbey has been articulating his vision to transform CMC into a global leader in cocoa marketing, built on quality, sustainability and stakeholder empowerment.
“We are all part of one team. Everyone matters. Everyone contributes. And everyone must feel valued,” Dr. Dogbey tells staff at the Accra meeting, reinforcing a cultural shift he has championed since his appointment by President John Dramani Mahama.
The Managing Director, who brings over 20 years of global leadership experience in corporate finance, global banking and investment management from institutions including Truist Bank, American Express, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, says his leadership rests on innovation, inclusion and improved staff welfare.
He reiterates his open door leadership style, assuring employees of a workplace free from discrimination or political victimisation.
“No one will be victimised for sharing honest feedback. My doors are open to all, regardless of where you are on the org chart or your political affiliation. As part of efforts to foster inclusive innovation, plans to deepen the use of a digital suggestion box to allow staff to anonymously submit ideas and feedback.”
Mr. Dogbey
Innovation and efficiency will be at the heart of our strategy moving forward. Let’s think boldly whether in marketing, operations, or sustainability,” he adds. Management says the durbar series is not merely ceremonial but strategic.
CMC’s Responsibility Towards Ghana Cocoa Board
CMC sits at the heart of Ghana’s cocoa value chain. As the commercial arm of the Ghana Cocoa Board, its core responsibility is to market and sell Ghana’s cocoa beans on the international market, generating the export earnings that sustain the sector and the broader national economy.
Licensed Buying Companies purchase cocoa from farmers at the producer price and CMC receives, markets and sells those beans globally. The revenue generated from these sales determines the gross Free On Board price, from which farmers receive 70 percent under the newly enacted Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026, assented to on August 26, 2026.
This means CMC’s commercial performance directly supports farmer income, foreign exchange earnings and overall sector stability. In the policy briefs guiding the Company’s current direction, Dr. Dogbey describes farmer confidence as a critical economic variable.
He notes that weakening confidence, driven by payment delays, inadequate communication on pricing and perceived inefficiencies, leads to declining production, increased cross-border smuggling and reduced quality standards.
“Farmer confidence is not a soft indicator. It is the single most consequential input into Ghana’s long-term cocoa supply outlook,” he emphasizes. Staff at the Accra session are reminded that their work from quality assurance to logistics and marketing contributes to retaining that confidence and protecting Ghana’s reputation as a premium cocoa origin.
Staff Performance Gap in Cocoa Marketing Cocoa Access
The Managing Director also links staff performance to global competitiveness issues including traceability and value addition. He tells staff that traceability has become a central determinant of market access, particularly with emerging European Union regulations.
“The implications at the trading level are immediate. Non-traceable supply will find its counterparty universe shrinking, while verified, traceable cocoa will command differentiation premiums and preferred-partner status.”
Mr. Dogbey
On value addition, Dr. Dogbey reaffirms President Mahama’s mandate requiring at least 50 percent of Ghana’s cocoa to be processed locally starting with the 2026/27 crop season. Ghana’s installed grinding capacity stands at about 505,000 tonnes annually, but actual grindings run around 210,000 tonnes, with the state owned Cocoa Processing Company running at roughly 20 percent of capacity in late 2025.
CMC, he says, is securing offtake commitments in the UAE and Saudi Arabia for semi-finished cocoa liquor, butter, cake and powder to fill that gap.
“Africa produces 70 to 75 per cent of the world’s cocoa but earns less than 10 per cent of the estimated $130 billion global chocolate market. That gap is the untapped value.”
Mr. Dogbey
He tells staff, urging them to see themselves as part of the solution to capture more value locally. For the current crop season, he discloses that CMC had already contracted approximately 90 percent of projected volumes during the period of historically high prices, before the recent correction a strategy that provides a significant buffer against price decline.
As the nationwide engagement concludes, Management stresses three pillars: translating dialogue into action, strengthening collaboration across departments and locations, and ensuring every team member understands their role in moving Ghana’s cocoa efficiently from origin to market.
The durbar ends with a rallying call that has become the Company’s mantra: One Company. One Purpose. One commitment to delivering value across the cocoa value chain.
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