US ends 15% tariff on Ghana cocoa, farm exports
Ghana has received formal confirmation from the United States indicating that Washington has completely lifted the 15 percent tariff that was imposed on the cocoa and agricultural exports of the West African nation, as announced by its foreign minister on Monday.
This decision comes at a critical juncture in the relations between Ghana and the United States.
Recently, Accra accepted a number of deportees from the United States — all of whom are West Africans — under what the government termed humanitarian grounds, despite facing domestic backlash regarding the arrangement.
Additionally, Washington has lifted its visa restrictions on Ghanaian travelers following several months of discussions.
"The United States administration has officially notified the Government of Ghana that President Trump’s 15% tariff on cocoa and certain qualifying agricultural products from Ghana has been revoked," Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa shared on X.
He further stated that American diplomats had assured him that "the 15% tariff reversal took effect on November 13, 2025, following President Trump’s new Executive Order."
The removal of the tariff reverses a policy from the Trump administration that had significantly increased the costs for Ghanaian products entering the US market.
Ghana typically exports around 78,000 metric tons of cocoa beans to the United States each year.
At the current market price of $5,300 per metric ton, the minister noted, the nation "is poised to generate an additional revenue of US$60 million… annually as a result of the rescission of Trump’s tariff."
The exemptions also included other agricultural products from Ghana such as cashew nuts, avocados, bananas, mangoes, plantains, pineapples, coconuts, ginger, and peppers, he mentioned.
“Ghana welcomes this positive development from the US which is the world’s leading importer of chocolate and cocoa products. Ghana and the USA will continue to forge closer and mutually beneficial relations,” he added.
Analysts say the tariff removal is a significant diplomatic win following years of tension over deportations and documentation compliance.
“It’s a win-win situation for both countries,” Accra-based economist Daniel Amateye Anim-Prempeh of the Policy Initiative for Economic Development (PIED) told AFP.
“The cocoa sector, the backbone of Ghana’s agricultural economy, stands to gain the most from improved access to the US market.”
Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, relies heavily on export revenues to stabilise its currency and finance public spending.
In August, Nigeria, along with several other African nations, faced a 15 percent import tariff due to a new executive order issued by United States President Donald Trump.
The announcement was made on Thursday as part of a revised policy on reciprocal tariff rates revealed by the White House.
In April, Trump had imposed tariffs on various global trading partners, which included a 14 percent levy on Nigerian exports.
The "reciprocal" tariffs were subsequently delayed for 90 days to provide an opportunity for negotiating individual trade agreements, with the new deadline established for August 1.
