On 26 June 2025 local time, a completion ceremony was held for the Abidjan Cocoa Processing EPC Project in Côte d’Ivoire, constructed by China Light Industry Nanning. The ceremony was attended by over 500 representatives from various sectors, including Côte d’Ivoire’s Vice-President Koné, Minister of State and Minister of Agriculture Ajoumani, Chinese Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire Wu Jie, the client’s General Manager of the Cocoa Board, Koné Brahim Yev, and Ni Zhengqing, Party Secretary, Chairman and General Manager of China Light Industry Nanning. Together, they witnessed the realisation of this landmark achievement in China-Africa industrial capacity cooperation.

In their speeches, Vice President Koné and Minister Adjoumani highly commended the project’s construction achievements. They extended special gratitude to the Chinese government and fully praised the high-standard, high-quality work style of CNDC and other participating Chinese enterprises.

The Abidjan Cocoa Processing EPC Project is a key project under the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Africa cooperation, as well as Côte d’Ivoire’s first state-owned modern cocoa processing plant. Built with Chinese technologies and standards, the project consists of:

- A cocoa processing factory with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons (scalable to 100,000 tons);

- A cocoa bean warehouse;

-A cocoa and chocolate training center to enhance local skills and boost youth employment;

- An administrative building.

With professional international EPC project management capabilities, the project team coordinated all parties, adhered to high standards and strict requirements, overcame geographical, climatic and cultural differences, and exercised precise control over the entire project cycle. Led by design and supported by full-professional 3D collaborative design, the team promoted lean construction to deliver a high-quality project.

Upon operation, the project will further improve Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa bean collection, storage and processing capacity, promote agricultural trade and value-added development, and help the country transform from a “Kingdom of Cocoa” to a “Powerhouse of Cocoa Industry”. It has won wide acclaim from the Ivorian government and people.

This leap from exporting raw cocoa beans to owning a self-owned cocoa processing factory epitomizes Côte d’Ivoire’s industrial upgrading in the cocoa sector. It also vividly demonstrates that China and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as China and other African countries, are marching together on the path to modernization.

Going forward, CNDC will uphold the philosophy of win-win cooperation, driven by digital technological innovation. The company will further deepen cooperation with Africa in agricultural industrial chains, food engineering, light industrial equipment and other fields, and support African countries in achieving industrial upgrading and economic diversification through concrete actions.

Supplementary Information

In 2018, President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire visited China to attend the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and pay a state visit. During the visit, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation documents.

Guided by the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, CNDC and the Coffee and Cocoa Council of Côte d’Ivoire signed two cocoa processing and storage projects in December 2019 under the “EPC+F” model:

- Abidjan: 50,000-ton cocoa processing plant and 140,000-ton warehouse EPC project;

- San Pédro: 50,000-ton cocoa processing plant and 160,000-ton warehouse EPC project.

Côte d’Ivoire is the world’s largest cocoa producer and exporter, accounting for about 40% of global output. In 2024, its cocoa output reached approximately 2 million tons, with over 1.4 million tons exported as raw beans and a local processing rate of only 30%. Currently, there are about 15 large-scale cocoa processing plants in the country, concentrated in Abidjan and San Pédro, most of which are foreign-owned. The cocoa processing and chocolate marketing sectors are dominated by developed countries in Europe and the United States.

With the successful completion and delivery of the Abidjan project, CNDC and the Coffee and Cocoa Council of Côte d’Ivoire will carry out closer cooperation on the San Pédro project, jointly writing a new chapter in building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era.