Afreximbank Considering $54m Loan For Cocoa Processing Plant In Ghana � Report

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is considering lending about $54 million to a Ghanaian firm to establish a cocoa processing plant in Ghana, the Bloomberg reported May 9, 2012 citing Afreximbank�s President Jean-Louis Ekra as saying. The company applying for the loan was not disclosed. The plant is to process the cocoa beans for export instead of exporting the commodity in raw form, Ekra told the publication in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the World Economic Forum on Africa. Ghana is the world�s second largest cocoa producer after Ivory Coast. West Africa produces over 70% of the world�s cocoa.