ACCRA, Nov 24 (The African Portal) – The United States has lifted the 15% tariffs previously imposed on cocoa and a number of agricultural products from Ghana, the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has announced.
The change took effect on November 13, 2025, following a new executive order signed by President Trump.
In a post on Facebook, Ablakwa said US diplomats had confirmed the development, stating, “the 15% tariff reversal came into effect on November 13, 2025, following President Trump’s new Executive Order.”
He said the exemption covers cocoa beans as well as other key goods exported by Ghana, including cashew nuts, avocado, banana, mango, orange, lime, plantain, pineapple, guava, coconut, ginger and several varieties of pepper.
The decision is seen as a significant boost for the cocoa sector. Ghana exports an estimated 78,000 metric tonnes of cocoa beans to the US each year. With current spot prices at roughly $5,300 per metric tonne, the reversal could generate around US$60m (GHS 667m) in additional annual revenue, the minister said.
Ghana has welcomed the move, with Ablakwa adding, “Ghana and the USA will continue to forge closer and mutually beneficial relations.”
The tariff was introduced under a 31 July 2025 executive order by President Trump, which raised reciprocal duties on several countries, including Ghana, to 15%.
The decision caused alarm within Ghana’s agricultural export sector, particularly in cocoa, a major source of foreign exchange.
Deputy Trade Minister Sampson Ahi said at the time that Ghana was “prepared to engage at the highest levels” to contest what it saw as unfair, arguing that the US does not grow cocoa domestically.
Analysts say the episode has served as a reminder of the need for deeper regional trade integration across Africa through frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
