Ethiopia is making concerted efforts to establish itself as a future contender in the global cocoa sector, with recent developments pointing to the early stages of a national strategy to integrate cocoa into its agricultural value chain. The initiative—anchored by the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)—aligns with the country’s broader aim to diversify its agricultural exports and tap into the multibillion-dollar global chocolate economy.
Although not traditionally associated with cocoa production, Ethiopia’s diverse agro-climatic zones are proving conducive to the crop, a factor which has long eluded mainstream narratives about the country’s agricultural capacity. According to EIAR Director General Professor Nigussie Dechassa, current research has identified “high potential” for cocoa cultivation in specific Ethiopian regions. Through experimental adaptation trials, researchers have developed cocoa varieties that exhibit promising resilience and yield under local ecological conditions.
Pilot demonstration farms have reportedly shown impressive productivity, reinforcing Ethiopia’s entry point into the global cocoa supply system. The cocoa variety now under trial is considered suitable not only in terms of climatic compatibility but also for its agronomic efficiency. These developments reflect the increasing commitment among Ethiopian policymakers and scientists to reframe agricultural identity by leveraging crops previously viewed as regionally exclusive.
The EIAR’s efforts culminated this year in the distribution of over 32,000 cocoa seedlings to smallholder farmers, marking a notable milestone in operationalising the programme. This distribution is part of a wider state-led campaign focused on the propagation of high-value crops that offer both domestic industrial use and foreign exchange opportunities.
Africa currently contributes approximately 70 percent of global cocoa output, with established producers such as Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon leading the sector, according to data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). However, Ethiopia’s move suggests a growing interest among non-traditional producers to not only participate in the cocoa economy but to do so with a strategy that centres sustainability, value addition, and farmer empowerment.
Unlike conventional narratives that view African nations as mono-crop exporters tied to post-colonial trade structures, Ethiopia’s cocoa development initiative presents a deviation—one that speaks to endogenous innovation and a recalibration of national agricultural policy. It signals a recognition that Africa’s agrarian transformation cannot solely rely on historically embedded value chains but must also embrace agro-economic diversification based on climatic intelligence, institutional research, and regional cooperation.
Cocoa, the principal ingredient in chocolate, holds significant industrial and economic potential beyond its raw export value. Ethiopia’s interest in this crop may serve as a launchpad for broader conversations around agro-processing, commodity sovereignty, and the redistribution of agricultural value within African contexts.
While the country is in the early stages of this endeavour, Ethiopia’s entry into the cocoa sector could—if scaled appropriately—strengthen its bargaining position in international markets and challenge existing production geographies that have long dominated the narrative.
The pathway forward requires a balance of technical capacity-building, infrastructural support, and regional collaboration. Ethiopia’s initiative could inspire similar efforts across other African nations with underutilised agro-climatic advantages, potentially repositioning the continent not just as a supplier of raw materials, but as a competitive producer in global agricultural markets where it has historically been undervalued.
In this regard, Ethiopia’s emerging cocoa ambitions reflect a broader African-centred development logic—one grounded not in replication of Western models, but in the rediscovery and revaluation of African ecological and economic agency.
