Côte d’Ivoire: A New 32 Billion FCFA Cocoa Factory Inaugurated in Divo(southwest of Côte d’Ivoire)

A new cocoa processing plant with an annual capacity of 36,000 tonnes was inaugurated on Saturday, August 2, in Divo, in the Lôh-Djiboua region in central-west Côte d’Ivoire. The factory, named Cacao SA, will boost the grinding capacity of the world's top cocoa-producing country.

Driven by brothers Alahassane and Fousseni Diakité, known as the "Supreme Twins," the Cacao SA factory represents an investment of 32 billion FCFA. The facility is expected to create over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs through the production of various cocoa derivatives such as butter, paste, powder, cake, cocoa mass, and chocolate. The factory is also aligned with sustainable practices, featuring solar panels and a biomass boiler powered by cocoa shells, thereby helping reduce fossil fuel consumption.

In his remarks, Dr. Souleymane Diarrassouba, Minister of Trade, Industry, and SME Promotion, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting the local processing of agricultural raw materials to maximize added value and promote youth and women employment. He emphasized that this momentum is in line with President Alassane Ouattara’s economic vision, which encourages Ivorians to invest in key industrial sectors, particularly the seven strategic clusters identified by the government.

The Minister also highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize public administration through the digitalization of many services and the creation of one-stop shops such as GUCE, GUDE-PME, Côte d’Ivoire Export Agency, SOGEDI, the one-stop construction permit center, and CEPICI, all designed to simplify the processes for investors and economic operators.

With this new industrial facility in Divo, Côte d’Ivoire strengthens its global leadership in cocoa processing. The country, which produces about 2.2 million tonnes of cocoa beans annually, now has an installed grinding capacity of over 950,000 tonnes. Currently, around 15 processing plants are operational nationwide, backed by both international groups (Barry Callebaut, Cargill, Olam, GCB Cocoa…) and national investors.

However, the government aims to process at least 50% of its cocoa production by 2030 — a goal that is increasingly attainable thanks to the multiplication of such initiatives in production zones.