Kinshasa, June 2nd, 2026 (CPA). – An international cocoa agreement was signed on Tuesday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the International Cocoa Organization with a view to enhancing the cocoa value chain in the country and regulating the market, according to a statement consulted by CPA.
“The Congolese Government, through the Minister of Foreign Trade, Julien Paluku Kahongya, signed in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, an international agreement on the promotion of the cocoa sector aimed at regulating the commodity market and mobilizing funds to support local producers,” the Ministry of Foreign Trade said in a statement.
According to the source, the strategic agreement focuses on seven major areas, including increasing producers’ incomes, improving the environmental footprint of the cocoa sector, encouraging local cocoa processing, promoting cocoa-based products, boosting production, and developing the cocoa industry in line with rural development requirements. On the occasion, Minister Paluku noted that the DRC’s accession to the agreement constitutes a major opportunity to structure the national cocoa sector and strengthen the country’s position on the international market through participation in major global decisions concerning cocoa market regulation and orientation.
“Participation in the organization will also help strengthen both the quality and quantity of exports of cocoa made in the DRC and enable the country to benefit from ICCO assistance in project design, implementation and financing for cocoa-related initiatives,” he said, adding that according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INS), cocoa exports from the DRC increased from 47,346 tons in 2021 to more than 92,220 tonnes in 2025. The Minister in charge of Foreign Trade aims to position the DRC among the world’s leading cocoa producers by 2030. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Michel Arrion, Executive Director of the ICCO, and Aly Touré, spokesperson for cocoa-producing countries, as well as diplomats from the European Union and the DRC Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire. CPA/