Nigeria and Cameroon Express Interest to Join the Cote D’Ivoire Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI) at its 3rd Steering Committee Meeting Held in Abidjan

The Steering Committee, the highest-level decision-making body of the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI), held its 3^rd meeting on Wednesday October 12, 2022, at the Sofitel Hotel in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Ahead of this meeting, Members of the Initiative’s Special Committee from Ghana and Ivory Coast met on Tuesday, October 11, 2022, to review the Initiative’s 2021/2022 Annual Report, discuss the 2022/2023 Work Plan and prepare towards receiving Cameroon and Nigeria, who have both expressed their interest to join the alliance, at the meeting as a first step towards formal engagement of accession towards membership.

The Steering Committee meeting was co-chaired by the outgoing Chairman, Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture, Hon Dr. OWUSU Afriyie Akoto, and the Vice-chair, his Ivorian counterpart, Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon. Mr. KOBENAN Kouassi Adjoumani.

Cameroon and Nigeria attended the meeting as guests. Cameroon was represented by Mr Michael NDOPING, Director General of the National Cocoa and Coffee Office, and Mr. Omer MALEDY, Secretary of the Interprofessional Council of Cocoa and Coffee while Nigeria was represented by Mr. Akeju Olagbaju Mudasiru, Special Assistant to Nigeria’s Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, and Mr. Ajayi Olutobaba Olulere, Desk Officer, Cocoa Value Chain, Member of the National Cocoa Management Committee.

Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto welcomed the move by the two countries and tasked the CIGCI Secretariat to take the prospective members through the processes laid down to admit new members. He added that the need for a better price for cocoa farmers cannot be overemphasized. Hence, any attempt to grow the alliance and strengthen its drive to improve farmer income is welcome.

‘’The two countries joining Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire will create an alliance of countries, whose total cocoa production constitutes 75 per cent of the world’s supply.’’ He added.

Executive Secretary of the Côte d’Ivoire – Ghana Cocoa Initiative, H.E. Mr. Alex Pierre ASSANVO, indicated that by inviting Cameroon and Nigeria to the Steering Committee, this was a start of the accession process that would eventually allow for the integration of the two countries into the Initiative.

Minister of State, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Hon. Mr. KOBENAN Kouassi Adjoumani assumed Chairmanship of the Steering Committee, for the 2022/23 cocoa year.