Engaging the Next Generation in Cocoa

Across the cocoa sector, there is a growing focus on increasing the involvement of the next generation of farmers, entrepreneurs and leaders. In many producing countries, farming populations are ageing, while younger generations are pursuing a wider range of career paths across sectors. This development places greater emphasis on how the cocoa sector positions itself as a space for professional growth, innovation and long-term opportunity.

Agriculture itself is changing. Cocoa production today is increasingly shaped by new approaches to managing land and yields, and by closer links between farms and global markets, all of which require more and more data. These changes are altering what it means to work in the sector, opening roles that go beyond traditional farming and into areas such as services, processing and supply chain management. For young people, this changes the frame of reference.

Last month, Mawuli Coffie, Country Director, Ghana, joined a group of ambitious students at the Yale Model African Union V, held at Academic City University in Accra. As part of this initiative aiming to empower more than 500 emerging leaders to engage with Africa's most pressing issues and help shape the future of the continent, he facilitated a leadership workshop on sustainable agribusiness and agriculture-based entrepreneurship, exploring the intersection of innovation, governance, and leadership in transforming African agriculture.

The students offered an interesting perspective: Africa needs to move further downstream in agricultural value chains to retain more value from its resources. Cocoa emerged as a strong example, showing how value addition can improve farmer incomes and strengthen economies in producing countries. Many are interested in applying technology to real-world challenges, building businesses and contributing to economic development. Cocoa is often viewed as a sector where more value can be retained within producing countries, particularly through local processing and new forms of enterprise. That potential is widely recognised, even if it is not yet fully realised.

At the same time, these conversations point to a gap between interest and participation. Students are often equipped with ideas and technical skills, but fewer have access to the leadership capabilities, networks and practical pathways needed to take those ideas forward. Leadership in this context is about navigating uncertainty, making decisions with incomplete information, and building something that can operate in a complex and often volatile environment.

This is where the connection between innovation, leadership and technology becomes decisive. Technology can improve how cocoa is produced and tracked. Innovation can reshape how value is created and distributed. Leadership determines whether these elements come together in ways that lead to viable businesses and sustained impact. Without that link, progress tends to remain fragmented.

Efforts to engage young people are therefore increasingly focused on making opportunities more visible and more accessible. This includes creating clearer pathways into the sector, supporting entrepreneurship and strengthening the connection between education and industry. It also requires closer coordination between governments, companies and institutions to ensure that skills, investment and policy are aligned.

For the cocoa sector, this has direct implications for long-term resilience. A more diverse and engaged generation entering the sector brings different capabilities and expectations, which can support adaptation to changing environmental and market conditions. It also strengthens the foundations for continued production in regions where cocoa remains a central part of the economy.

The future of cocoa will be shaped across farms, businesses and policy spaces. The question is how effectively the sector can translate existing interest into sustained participation, and how it can create the conditions for young people to build careers and enterprises within it.