The Cocoa Marketing Company (Ghana) Limited (CMC) has launched a 24-hour operational model to improve the movement of cocoa from delivery points to processing facilities and export markets.
The initiative, launched by CMC Managing Director Wisdom Kofi Dogbey with support from COCOBOD, government officials and key industry stakeholders, forms part of President John Dramani Mahama’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme.
The new model, dubbed “Offload 24, Load 24, Export 24,” will extend critical CMC operations beyond conventional working hours at its facilities, including those in Tema, Kumasi and Takoradi.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Dogbey said the initiative would help address delays in cocoa logistics, particularly when trucks arrive after normal working hours.
“The world does not stop at 5 p.m. or 4 p.m., and neither should Ghana’s cocoa ambition,” he said.
Under Offload 24, CMC will receive cocoa from Licensed Buying Companies(LBCs) around the clock to reduce truck queues and congestion.
Load 24 will allow cocoa to be supplied to local processing companies beyond regular working hours, while Export 24 will extend inspection, documentation,, sealing, documentation and shipment preparation to align with port and vessel schedules.
Mr Dogbey explained that the 24-hour model would operate through shifts and was not intended to require individual employees to work continuously.
He said the initiative would help maximise existing infrastructure, improve logistics coordination, support domestic processing and accelerate cocoa exports.
“A chain cannot move faster than its slowest link. For too long, at certain times of the day, that link has been us. This season, we remove that constraint,” he stated.
CMC said the programme will be assessed using indicators including truck turnaround times, volumes handled, documentation efficiency, shipment performance, safety and overall operational efficiency.
Mr Dogbey urged Licensed Buying Companies, cocoa processors, shipping lines, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, security agencies and other stakeholders to align their operations with the extended schedule.
He also called on CMC staff to embrace greater discipline, teamwork and responsiveness as the company moves towards the new operating model.
The CMC Managing Director said the initiative would position the company to contribute more effectively to Ghana’s export ambitions and strengthen the country’s competitiveness in the global cocoa market.
“Ghana is ready to work. Ghana is ready to export. Ghana is ready to compete. And CMC is ready to play its part.”
