A Silent Giant Wakes? WAMCO Hails Cocoa Policy Shift as Lifeline for Dormant Plant

The cause of this sudden reanimation? President Mahama’s electrifying decision to enforce a 50 percent cocoa retention policy. A move that has sent a wave of jubilation through Ghana’s beleaguered cocoa processing sector.

Nowhere is the hope more palpable than at West Africa Mills Company (WAMCO), the grand dame of Ghanaian cocoa established in 1949. During a high-stakes visit to the facility, its leadership revealed a stark reality: while the company holds a mighty 60,000 metric ton capacity across two plants, half of that power lies completely crippled. WAMCO Two, a 30,000 metric ton beast, has been reduced to a silent shell, starved of beans and broken by technical neglect. Its sister, WAMCO One, limps along at just 30 percent capacity, hungry for the raw materials now promised by the new directive.

Seizing the moment, Deputy Managing Director Dr. Boakye Danquah issued a passionate plea to the government and investors.

"We have the legacy, we have the market, and now we have the policy," he declared. "But we need the muscle. A five to seven million dollar injection to retool WAMCO Two isn't just an investment in a factory; it is the golden ticket to resurrecting the economy of Sekondi-Takoradi and unleashing over 200 jobs."

Frank Bednar, WAMCO’s Managing Director, welcomed the Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, to the site, reinforcing that value addition is the nation’s shortcut from poverty to prosperity. "This policy," Bednar noted, "is the raw bean of our future growth."

As the scent of chocolate futures hangs in the air, Regional Minister Joseph Nelson delivered a powerful vow: the government will not let this giant slumber again. With a new policy in place and a plea for investment on the table, the question remains—will the funds flow to give this silent giant the voice it desperately craves?

Nana Esi Brew Monney