With Nigeria and the rest of Africa producing more than 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa, yet accounting for less than one per cent of global chocolate production, international expert and Chief Executive, ethical chocolate brand Beyond Good, Tim McCollum, has called on global and local investors to change that narrative and unlock billions in untapped potential by building chocolate manufacturing capacity on the continent.
McCollum, whose company introduced an innovative farm-to-factory model in Madagascar, believes it is time to replicate this success in West Africa – starting with cocoa giants in Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire and the rest of Africa.
His message is clear: The future of chocolate lies in Africa, and Nigerian investors can help shape it.
“Cocoa is one of Africa’s most valuable crops, but most of the value is lost once the raw beans leave the continent,” McCollum noted, “We’ve shown in Madagascar that you can not only grow world-class cocao, but also produce high-quality chocolate bars—all within Africa.
‘‘Now we want to bring this model to West Africa.” Originally founded as Madécasse and renamed Beyond Good, McCollum’s company has built a vertically integrated chocolate production facility in Madagascar. By sourcing directly from farmers and processing cacao locally, Beyond Good bypasses the traditional extractive supply chain that transports raw beans to factories in Europe or North America. The result? A thriving local industry and better conditions for farmers. In 2024 alone, Beyond Good produced 2.8 million chocolate bars in Madagascar. At the same time, the company increased farmers’ incomes, created new manufacturing jobs, and retained more value in local communities.
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McCollum believes this approach is not only ethical but also extremely profitable. “Our model eliminates five to six middlemen,” he explained. According to McCollum, the Madagascar project proves that chocolate production in Africa is not just an idealistic dream — it’s commercially viable. He’s confident the same success can be scaled across Nigeria and other West African countries. “When we started, people told us it couldn’t be done — that you couldn’t make chocolate in Africa at scale,” he said. “But last year, we made 2.8 million bars. That’s not just proof of concept. That’s proof of potential.”The move also carries implications for sustainability and traceability, two areas where Beyond Good has made major strides.
With its direct sourcing model, the company maintains full transparency over its supply chain — something increasingly valued by global consumers.“We know exactly where every bean comes from,” McCollum noted. “That kind of traceability is only possible when you build relationships directly with farmers — and when you make the chocolate close to the source.” As McCollum pushes to expand into other parts of Africa, he is urging investors to look beyond short-term commodity trading, and toward long-term value creation. “The real money is not in raw cocoa,” he says. “It’s in chocolate — and in keeping the value where the cocoa grows.” To make that happen, he believes it’s time to rethink the role Africa plays in the global chocolate industry — not just as a supplier of beans, but as a producer of finished products.
In his contribution, Senior Advisor, Africa Mighty Earth, Amourlaye Touré noted that West African cocoa farmers face a confluence of critical challenges, primarily driven by climate change and governance issues within the sector.
These challenges,according to hjim, are exacerbated by new regulations such the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), raising serious concerns about farmer livelihoods and the persistent issue of child labour. “The biggest challenges for growers are climate change and the governance of their sector,” Touré stated. “This, in turn, raises crucial issues such as the EUDR, decent incomes for growers and deforestation.” The EUDR, aimed at preventing deforestation associated with products sold in the EU, poses a significant threat to vulnerable smallholder farmers who dominate cocoa production in the region. Touré warned that the regulation could “hit growers hard if nothing is done to prepare them for it.” He highlighted the lack of adequate education and preparation initiatives on the ground, questioning how farmers can be expected to comply with complex regulations without support.
Addressing the sensitive issue of child labour, Touré stated that the EUDR does not necessarily have to lead to higher rates, “if implementation is done in a participatory way with accompanying measures.” He stressed that a “collective approach is needed, involving a wide range of players such as the governments of producing countries and the major companies, in the forefront, but also local players (cooperatives, NGOs, community leaders.”
Touré pointed to positive trends in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, where child labour has “fallen considerably in recent years” due to concerted action. However, he cautioned that the issue remains complex, influenced by factors like sub-regional security dynamics and terrorism in the Sahel, which can displace populations and increase vulnerability to child labour.
European consumers have a vital role to play in supporting West African farmers, according to Touré. “European consumers can do more to support the implementation of a strong, not truncated, EUDR that takes account of the interests of small-scale producers.”
He highlighted the importance of the “chocolate scorecard,” which allows consumers to “find out what is happening on the ground and in the lives of these growers in developing countries who do the hardest work and receive only an insignificant share of the revenue generated each year by the chocolate industry.” Touré noted that the scorecard’s analysis, based on criteria including child labour and living income, encourages influential industry players to take action, ultimately benefiting farmers. “This year, we heard from multiple companies that the Scorecard is being used to evaluate suppliers. Cocoa suppliers that score poorly are starting to see it affect their actual sales/business,” Touré revealed, indicating the growing influence of the scorecard. He also highlighted the high level of trust in the scorecard, with a significant majority of large companies sharing their full child labour data.Touré highlighted the varying trends in farm wages across the region, influenced by different marketing systems. While some countries like Cameroon, Liberia, and Guinea are seeing benefits from rising cocoa prices, Côte d’Ivoire’s price stabilisation system keeps prices lower for its farmers.Looking ahead, Touré painted a concerning picture for the West African cocoa sector. “The cocoa crisis is already underway, with harvests down and prices on international markets at historic lows.” He attributed this crisis primarily to climate change, exacerbated by “uncontrolled deforestation,” which has seen Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire lose a staggering “between 80 and 90% of their forest cover in less than a century.”
While temporary improvements in harvests are possible, Touré emphasised that “any lasting solution will require strong, concerted measures, including forest restoration and protection initiatives, agroforestry projects, changes to improve the current production system, and improved local governance.”
The coming months will be critical for the West African cocoa sector, demanding urgent and collaborative action from governments, companies, and consumers to address the intertwined challenges of climate change, regulatory compliance, fair incomes, and the persistent fight against child labour.
