Ghana Cocoa Exports Now Run Around Clock
Ghana is shifting to round-the-clock operations to modernize its cocoa export chain, with the Cocoa Marketing Company (CMC) launching 24-hour services at facilities in Tema and Takoradi. The new schedule is designed to cut delays in moving beans from licensed buying companies to warehouses and vessels, addressing a long-standing bottleneck where ports and transport operators worked past 5pm while CMC facilities closed earlier.
CMC Managing Director Wisdom Dogbey explained that the decision to operate around the clock was driven by a mismatch in hours across the export chain. While ports, customs authorities, and shipping lines already worked beyond standard office hours, CMC warehouses had traditionally closed earlier, forcing trucks to wait and creating congestion. By operating around the clock, we can reduce congestion, improve turnaround times, make better use of our infrastructure and accelerate export through multiple shifts.
The scale of the problem was illustrated by COCOBOD Board Chairman Dr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, who recalled seeing trucks waiting to discharge cocoa beans during a recent visit to Takoradi. When he asked about the closing time, he was told operations ended at 5pm. Dr Ofosu-Ampofo argued that a cutoff time is increasingly difficult to justify in an industry serving international buyers operating within a global trading environment.
Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Randy Abbey, said the new operating model will allow cocoa facilities to work across three shifts instead of relying largely on a single daytime shift. He noted that faster movement of beans from licensed buying companies to warehouses and vessels would reduce the period beans remain exposed to humidity and handling risks. The quicker takeover process is also expected to allow licensed buying companies to receive takeover receipts sooner, which could support faster payments to companies that finance cocoa purchases from farmers.
Aligning with global time zones
Dr Ofosu-Ampofo also called for COCOBOD’s trading room to operate around the clock so Ghana can respond more effectively to buyers in major markets including Japan, China, Dubai, and the United States. The broader objective is to ensure that Ghana’s cocoa business does not operate on a traditional office-hours model while the international market continues trading across different time zones. The immediate test will be whether the entire cocoa logistics chain can operate with the same discipline and speed, as customs, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, shipping lines, hauliers, and other COCOBOD units must coordinate their operations so that delays are not simply transferred from cocoa warehouses to another part of the logistics chain.
In an industry where delays are not merely a logistical inconvenience but can increase transportation costs, create congestion, and contribute to vessel waiting time and demurrage charges, the shift to a 24-hour model represents a structural change. The new CMC system is therefore expected to improve efficiency at several points in the cocoa value chain rather than simply extending warehouse working hours. By moving toward a 24-hour export system, authorities hope to shorten the time between cocoa purchases and shipment, reduce congestion, and make better use of existing infrastructure, aligning local operations with the demands of a global market that never stops moving.
Costs and competitive goals
While the initiative aims to make Ghana’s cocoa business more competitive, the expansion will also increase operating costs. CMC has identified improvements in lighting, surveillance, health facilities, transportation, drainage, and security as necessary conditions for night operations. Management has stressed that additional shifts will only begin where the required safety conditions are in place. The initial rollout will focus on high-volume facilities in Tema and Takoradi, with the efficiency gains monitored against the additional cost of operating at night. For the programme to deliver its full potential, CMC will need other parts of the export chain to work on the same schedule.
Presidential Advisor for the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development, Augustus Tanoh, said a feasibility study by a committee of experts found the new operating model to be operationally and commercially sound. The initiative forms part of a wider push to make Ghana’s cocoa industry more productive and retain more value domestically. The government is also targeting greater domestic processing, with plans for at least half of Ghana’s cocoa crop to be processed locally before export from the 2026/27 season. That would represent a major shift in the country’s traditional cocoa model, where large volumes of raw beans are exported and much of the higher-value processing takes place outside Ghana. Increasing domestic processing would allow more of the economic value generated from cocoa to remain in the country through manufacturing, jobs, logistics, and related industries.
The 24-hour model is also expected to create employment opportunities in cocoa-producing and port communities. COCOBOD said additional workers would be required across areas including dock operations, quality control, weighbridge services, security, and logistics. However, the broader significance of the initiative goes beyond longer working hours or job creation. Cocoa remains one of the country’s most important agricultural exports, but inefficiencies across the supply chain can reduce the competitiveness of Ghanaian cocoa in international markets. By moving toward a 24-hour export system, authorities hope to shorten the time between cocoa purchases and shipment, reduce congestion, and make better use of existing infrastructure, supporting local jobs and helping the country capture more value from one of its most important commodities.
Analysts suggest the operational shift is a necessary step to secure Ghana’s position as a leading global cocoa supplier. [1] Ghana’s market structure may also benefit from such logistical improvements. Additionally, the drive for local value addition is creating new opportunities for investment. [2] Startup scholarships are helping to build the technical skills needed for this transformation. The recent history of regulatory enforcement in the sector also highlights the importance of compliance. [3] Twitter bans on high-profile figures serve as a reminder of the strict standards expected in the industry.
