About CFI Ghana

The Cocoa & Forests Initiative is an active commitment of two top cocoa-producing countries, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire with thirty-five leading chocolate and cocoa companies representing 85% of the world’s cocoa trade to end deforestation and restore forest areas, through no further conversion of any forest land for cocoa production. CFI Ghana is consistent with the Government of Ghana’s strategy to reduce deforestation, increase sustainable cocoa production and farmer livelihood.   

CFI Ghana is coordinated by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. It is facilitated by IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, and the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (BUZA) and Partnerships for Forests (P4F) through the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), SECO and the World Bank.

Mandate

In November 2017, the Government of Ghana and major cocoa and chocolate companies signed the Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) Joint Framework for Action. The Framework defines core commitments, verifiable actions, and timebound targets. The Government of Ghana was represented by the former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Hon John Peter Amewu.

Goal/Objectives

At the heart of the Framework is the commitment to no longer convert forest land for cocoa production. The Framework focuses on the following objectives:

• Conservation of forest reserves, national parks and forested land, as well as restoration of forests that have been degraded by cocoa farm encroachment.
• Sustainable intensification and diversification of income to increase farmers’ yields and livelihood, to grow “more cocoa on less land” and thereby reduce pressure on forests.
• Engagement and empowerment of cocoa-growing communities. In particular mitigation of the social impacts and risks of land-use changes on affected cocoa farmers and their communities.

The Joint Framework for Action (JFA) focuses on

Conservation of national parks and forested land, as well as restoration of forests that have been degraded by cocoa farm encroachment.

Sustainable intensification and  diversification of income in order to increase farmers’ yields and livelihood, to grow “more cocoa on less land” and thereby reduce pressure on forests.

Engagement and empowerment of cocoa-growing communities. In particular mitigation of the social impacts and risks of land-use changes on affected cocoa farmers and their communities.

The Framework for Action was translated into National Implementation plans, released in July 2018. The plan specifies timelines, roles and responsibilities, monitoring and evaluation, and governance. The implementation plan was shaped by public, private and civil society stakeholders, through a series of strategic and technical discussions.

On March 2019, thirty-four company signatories, accounting for about 85% of global cocoa usage, released detailed individual action plans. These plans spell out the specific actions each company will take in 2018-2022, to deliver on their commitments set out in the Frameworks for Action.