VOICE presents Barometer at COFAAA African Cocoa Summit & Awards

On 22–23 October 2025, VOICE took part in the Cocoa Farmers Alliance Association of Africa (COFAAA) Inter-Country Farmer Summit & Awards, a major regional gathering in Accra, Ghana, dedicated to strengthening a farmer-led future for cocoa across West Africa.

The summit brought together farmer cooperatives, government officials, private-sector representatives, civil society organizations, and cocoa community leaders from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, and Côte d’Ivoire. This year’s theme — “Building a Sustainable African Cocoa Ecosystem: Unlocking Economic Potentials, Driving Inclusive Growth” — reflected a shared commitment to reshaping the sector through African-driven solutions and farmer-centered leadership.

Cocoa Barometer

During the event, VOICE presented the 2025 Cocoa Barometer, sharing key findings and engaging in dialogue on the urgent need for equity and fairness in global cocoa trade. The presentation sparked meaningful conversations on living incomes, power imbalances in supply chains, and the importance of transparency and accountability. Throughout discussions, a unified message resonated clearly: sustainable cocoa systems must start with local priorities, home-grown policies, and a genuine recognition of producing countries as equal partners, not raw-material suppliers in a global value chain.

Farmer leaders expressed strong appreciation for the Barometer’s role in elevating their perspectives and pushing global actors to confront uncomfortable truths. We received thoughtful feedback, particularly on the importance of maintaining evidence-driven advocacy while ensuring farmers’ lived experiences remain front and center.

We are grateful for the opportunity to listen, learn, and contribute alongside partners deeply committed to transforming the cocoa sector from within. Together with farmer-led movements across West Africa, VOICE will continue championing dignity, equity, and systemic change — working toward a future in which cocoa farming communities thrive, lead, and benefit fairly from the value they create.