WAMCO was established in 1949 as the first cocoa processing company in the country, with the Government of Ghana, through the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), holding a 40 per cent stake in the company.  

It has two plants, WAMCO One and WAMCO Two, which together could boast of a combined production capacity of approximately 60,000 metric tonnes of cocoa.  

However, operations had significantly declined in recent years, with WAMCO Two, which accounted for about 30,000 metric tonnes of the total capacity becoming redundant due to technical difficulties and a lack of raw materials.  

Dr Danquah, therefore, stated that investing and reviving WAMCO Two was essential for the socio-economic growth of Sekondi-Takoradi through the creation of direct and indirect employment opportunities for the people.  

“With the government saying that we have to process about 50 per cent of our cocoa locally, then it means that WAMCO Two has to be revived, so we need assistance from the government and any investor to revamp this facility,” he said.  

Mr Joseph Nelson, the Western Regional Minister, who was on working visit to the facility reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting the company’s recovery, saying; “We will do everything we have to do support WAMCO Two to get back on its feet.” 

Meanwhile, Mr Frank Bednar, the Managing Director of WAMCO, welcomed the President’s decision on the 50 per cent cocoa retention policy, stressing that local value addition remained the surest path to higher revenue generation and job creation for the youth.