Côte d’Ivoire launches construction of $16 million cocoa processing plant in San Pedro

Ivorian cocoa cooperative CADESA has launched construction of a cocoa processing plant in Guirognépahio, in the San Pedro region, as the world’s largest cocoa producer continues efforts to increase local value addition in the sector.

The project represents an investment of 9.84 billion CFA francs ($16 million) and will initially process 15,000 tonnes of cocoa beans annually, with capacity expected to expand to 30,000 tonnes in the future.

The facility will produce cocoa derivatives including cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and cocoa cake, allowing Côte d’Ivoire to capture a larger share of the value generated from its main agricultural export.

CADESA, which brings together more than 4,000 cocoa farmers, said the plant is expected to create employment opportunities and strengthen the economic position of local producers by supporting the development of domestic processing capacity.

The construction project is being supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands through the CocoaTech Côte d’Ivoire programme, which aims to promote innovation, competitiveness and sustainable transformation within the country’s cocoa industry.

Côte d’Ivoire, which supplies around 40% of the world’s cocoa production, has been seeking to expand its processing capabilities to reduce reliance on raw bean exports and increase revenues generated from cocoa products.

The new facility, whose construction is expected to take 24 months, will further strengthen San Pedro’s role as a strategic cocoa hub, benefiting from its proximity to major production areas and one of West Africa’s key export ports.

The investment comes as Côte d’Ivoire accelerates its industrialisation strategy, with the government encouraging more local processing across agricultural sectors to create jobs and retain more value within the country.