World Bank commits US$75M to rehabilitate Ghana cocoa farms and boost productivity
World Bank backs Ghana’s cocoa sector with $75 million rehabilitation programme to restore farms, improve yields and strengthen farmer incomes amid disease and climate challenges.
GHANA – The World Bank has committed approximately $75 million to a cocoa rehabilitation initiative aimed at restoring about 25,000 hectares of cocoa farms across Ghana, as the sector faces mounting pressure from disease outbreaks and declining productivity.
The funding, mobilised under the West Africa Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), will support efforts to revive farmlands severely affected by disease, improve yields, strengthen farmer incomes and enhance the long-term sustainability of the cocoa sector.
Speaking at a World Bank Civil Society Organisation engagement on food security in Accra, Agricultural Economist at the World Bank Ghana, Dr. Ashwini Sebastian, said the programme forms part of broader efforts to strengthen resilience across West Africa’s food systems.
“The West Africa Food Systems Resilience Programme, financed by the World Bank and implemented by the Government of Ghana, has enabled us to leverage grant financing,” she said.
“We have received seed funding from the Norwegian government, which we are deploying through the programme to support key agricultural value chains.”
Dr. Sebastian noted that beyond cocoa, the programme also supports seed system development in selected clusters, including trials of improved crop varieties designed to withstand dry season conditions, particularly in northern Ghana.
“We are piloting seed varieties that can be used during the dry season, especially in the north, to improve productivity and resilience,” she said.
She added that the initiative includes the provision of cashew seedlings to farmers as part of efforts to diversify income sources and strengthen agricultural livelihoods.
Highlighting the cocoa component, Dr. Sebastian described it as a flagship intervention within the programme. “We are putting in almost 75 million dollars to rehabilitate 25,000 hectares of cocoa farms that have been affected by disease,” she said. “Our immediate target is to restore about 5,000 hectares by July.”
The rehabilitation programme will focus on replacing diseased and unproductive cocoa trees with improved, high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties, while promoting better farm management practices.
Ghana’s cocoa sector continues to face challenges including swollen shoot disease, ageing tree stocks and climate variability. For the 2025/26 cocoa season, the country has projected output to exceed 650,000 tons, supported by favourable weather conditions and targeted disease management efforts.
Cocoa remains a key source of foreign exchange for Ghana, with the rehabilitation programme expected to support production recovery and strengthen rural livelihoods.
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