Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire are taking different approaches to preparing their cocoa industries for the European Union’s deforestation regulation, exposing the practical challenges of tracing millions of smallholder-grown beans through two of the world’s most important cocoa supply chains.
With the regulation scheduled to apply from December 30, 2026, for large and medium-sized operators, both countries face mounting pressure to demonstrate that cocoa entering the European market is legally produced and has not been grown on land deforested after the regulation’s December 2020 cut-off date. However, their approaches to establishing traceability systems differ, with implications for exporters, cooperatives and farmers as the new cocoa season gets underway.
Ghana has been developing a national traceability framework through the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD). The system is intended to connect cocoa to its origin and support the verification of production and environmental compliance. Ghana has also developed a deforestation-risk assessment methodology and a forest map to support its compliance preparations.
In May, the European Union publicly commended Ghana’s progress. EU Ambassador to Ghana Rune Skinnebach cited the traceability system and supporting forest data as important steps towards establishing a legal, traceable cocoa supply chain. Cocoa represents 95 per cent of the export value of the seven commodity groups covered by the regulation in Ghana. That concentration makes compliance particularly significant for the country’s export economy.
Côte d’Ivoire, meanwhile, has mandated electronic producer cards for cocoa purchases from the start of the 2026/2027 season on September 1. The cards are designed to identify producers and help track cocoa through the supply chain, providing the information needed to verify its origin and sustainability credentials.
But the rollout has encountered operational difficulties. Reuters reported on September 9 that traders, cooperatives and buying agents were struggling to use the new digital system. Some exporters said that field agents lacked sufficient payment terminals, bags and seals, while many cooperatives had yet to become familiar with the technology. These problems risk slowing purchases and deliveries during the early months of the season.
Côte d’Ivoire’s Coffee and Cocoa Council said it had purchased 20,000 payment terminals and was distributing equipment according to previous-season purchasing volumes. Council director Yves Brahima Koné acknowledged delays but said the system was expected to improve over the coming months.
The stakes extend well beyond administrative compliance. Côte d’Ivoire produces approximately 40 per cent of the world’s cocoa and sends around 70 per cent of its cocoa exports to Europe. Disruptions to purchases, deliveries or documentation could therefore affect exporters, farmers and international buyers, with wider implications for global cocoa supply.
For farmers, the central concern is whether compliance systems can function without excluding producers who lack access to digital equipment, reliable connectivity or the documentation required to establish their farms’ locations. Traceability requires accurate farm-level information, including geographical coordinates, and records that can follow cocoa from production to export. Collecting and verifying that information across fragmented smallholder supply chains is a substantial undertaking.
The differences in implementation do not, however, mean that Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have abandoned cooperation. In June 2026, the two countries signed a joint declaration committing to price stability, environmental protection and greater domestic cocoa processing. They also reaffirmed cooperation on shared standards and traceability through the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative and the African Regional Standards for Sustainable Cocoa. Together, the countries account for approximately 60 per cent of global cocoa production.
The immediate challenge is to translate national systems and regional commitments into reliable operations at farm gates, buying centres, cooperatives and export facilities before the EU rules begin to apply. That will require continued training, functioning equipment, accurate farm data and coordination between regulators, exporters and farmers.
NBF Insight
The emerging divide between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire is less about whether traceability is necessary than about how quickly and effectively each country can make it work. Ghana’s progress has received public recognition from the EU, while Côte d’Ivoire’s mandatory electronic-card rollout illustrates the difficulties of turning a national policy into a functioning rural system.
For both countries, the commercial risk is clear: cocoa that cannot be adequately traced may face barriers to the European market, even when the farmer has not knowingly contributed to deforestation. Smallholders could bear the cost of gaps in infrastructure and documentation unless governments, exporters and international buyers help close them.
There is also a strategic opportunity. Shared standards, compatible data systems and coordinated farmer support could reduce duplication and protect the competitiveness of West African cocoa. As the deadline approaches, the measure of success will not only be whether digital systems have been launched, but whether they can reliably trace cocoa without disrupting trade or leaving small producers behind.
