In line with the government’s policy to allocate 50 percent of raw cocoa beans to local processing companies, the Western Regional Minister, Hon. Joseph Nelson, together with the Regional Coordinating Director, Ms. Rachel Fosua Sarpong, visited the West Africa Mills Company (WAMCO) on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
Established in 1949, WAMCO is recognized as the first cocoa processing company in Ghana.
The visit aimed to assess the company’s readiness to implement the policy and to evaluate its capacity to process the allocated cocoa beans.
During an interaction with the Managing Director, Mr. Frank Bednar, he confirmed that WAMCO is well-positioned to benefit from the initiative. He indicated that the company is currently operating at only 20 percent of its installed capacity due to challenges in securing adequate raw cocoa beans. He expressed optimism that the new policy will significantly boost production and create more employment opportunities for the youth in the region.
Mr. Bednar further revealed that since its reactivation in 2018, WAMCO has processed 40,682 metric tonnes of various types of cocoa beans and exported approximately 32,348 metric tonnes of products, valued at about US$110,103,400. He added that the company remains profitable, with its products distributed across markets in Africa and Asia.
With the Government of Ghana holding a 40 percent stake in the company through COCOBOD, management is also looking forward to revamping the WAMCO II plant to complement the existing facility and significantly enhance overall production capacity.
