Cargill Ghana Hosts AmCham CEO Doris Afanyedey as Part of Listening Tour

On Thursday, August 28, 2025,  Doris Afanyedey visited Cargill Ghana as part of the Listening Tour and met with Managing Director Max Essoh Latte.

Cargill, a global leader in food and agriculture, has operated in Ghana for more than four decades. Through its cocoa processing facility in Tema, established in 2008, Cargill supports local employment, strengthens Ghana’s cocoa value chain, and contributes to sustainable agriculture practices that benefit farmers and communities.

In April 2025, Cargill extended its strategic partnership with Orange Corners Ghana to empower youth entrepreneurs through mentorship, training, and funding support. This investment reflects Cargill’s commitment to Ghana’s long-term growth, fostering innovation and opportunity while deepening its role as a trusted partner in the country’s economic development.

Ghana’s Ambassador To The United States Visits Cargill Ghana

On Tuesday, January 24, 2023, Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Hajia Alima Mahama, paid a courtesy visit to Cargill’s state-of-the-art cocoa processing facility at the free zones enclave in Tema, accompanied by AmCham Ghana Executive Secretary, Simon Madjie, and the Chief Commercial Officer and Head of the One District One Factory (1D1F) Initiative at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Kofi Addo.

This was part of the Ambassador’s engagement with U.S. companies in Ghana under the auspices of the American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana.

Ambassador Hajia Alima Mahama interacted with the Managing Director of Cargill Ghana, Aedo van der Weij, and other managers to understand the company’s operations and was given a tour of the plant to meet with the various employees as well as have an experience of the different stages of cocoa processing.

Cargill has been sourcing cocoa from Ghana for over 40 years, and in 2008 opened its state-of-the-art cocoa processing facility in Tema, employing around 240 employees processing cocoa products to service food and confectionary customers locally and around the world. Cargill, also through its various activities in the cocoa supply chain, provides about 750 direct jobs, the majority of which are locals.

The Ambassador was impressed by Cargill’s deliberate efforts at employing and empowering locals. She said it is indicative that given the right conditions and resources, Ghana has the human resource to support industries.

In 2016, Cargill added a Licensed Buying Company (LBC) to its Ghanaian footprint. The LBC operations bring innovative ways to trade with farmers directly, emphasizing their sustainability and traceability efforts.

The company has invested over $3.2 million into sustainability programming with partners CARE and the International Cocoa Initiative to address the educational gap in 250 communities in the Western North region of Ghana by providing school buildings.

The Ambassador was also honored to plant a symbolic cocoa tree in the middle of the Cargill garden. A gesture of goodwill and Cargill’s commitment to Ghana’s cocoa sector.