Nathalie Akon (L), Matilda Asante-Asiedu (M), and Pearl Nkrumah (R) in a group photograph after the signing
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Access Bank Ghana have partnered to expand affordable financing for Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) and strengthen the resilience, productivity, and sustainability of the country’s cocoa sector.
Through the partnership, IFC – drawing on its own account and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme – will provide up to $67 million in unfunded risk-participation facilities, enabling Access Bank Ghana to extend up to $134 million in financing to leading LBCs.
The initiative is expected to benefit thousands of smallholder farmers by improving LBC liquidity, enhancing traceability systems, and enabling the procurement of more sustainably produced cocoa beans.
This expanded access to capital will help LBCs purchase traceable cocoa beans from Smallholder farmers, strengthen supply chain transparency, and support improved environmental and social standards across the industry.
Managing Director of Access Bank Ghana, Pearl Nkrumah said, the financing also supports Ghana’s national objectives on sustainable cocoa production, including the uptake of Rainforest Alliance—certified cocoa, which promotes responsible land use, forest protection, and compliance with emerging global market requirements.
She said, “Access Bank’s support to LBCs will unlock the liquidity they need during the purchasing season, help improve traceability, and encourage more sustainable sourcing practices that will position Ghana’s cocoa sector for long-term competitiveness. This partnership with IFC underscores our shared commitment to strengthening Critical value chains and advancing inclusive growth.”
IFC Division Director for West Africa Gulf of Guinea, Nathalie Akon, said the partnership with Access Bank will help local buying companies secure the liquidity they need to purchase cocoa beans from smallholder farmers while promoting sustainability’ climate-smart agriculture, and stronger rural economies.
“By expanding working capital financing for LBCs and incentivizing the procurement of traceable, certified cocoa, the program contributes to Ghana’s global competitiveness I while addressing persistent sector challenges,” she added.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Matilda Asante-Asiedu, described the initiative as a strategic intervention designed to shore up the backbone of Ghana’s cocoa purchasing system.
“This scheme is strategically designed to provide essential working capital to Licensed Buying Companies—the backbone of Ghana’s domestic cocoa purchasing system,” she said.
According to her, supporting LBCs goes beyond commercial interest, stressing that “ensuring their liquidity is not merely a commercial objective; it is a national economic priority.”
By Prince Fiifi Yorke