Cocoa Chronicle 1: Arriving Ghana Without Questions

By February 2024, I had started talking about a trip to Ghana. By then, I was completing my final course load for the Ph.D. program that I had begun in the Fall of 2022, and my research had undergone rigorous rounds of refinement. I was left with three themes that pointed to Ghana: Resilience, Climate, and Cocoa.

2024 was a tough year. The wins and great moments that laced the year felt more like silver linings in a mostly grey sky. I moved a lot and finally put my properties in storage, shuttling between my friend's place and Airbnb. I had a carousel of deadlines, including the crucial Ph.D. prospectus defense. On top of that, I had to step in as the primary advocate and, later, caregiver for a critically ill family member. I had to pull back from newer relationships to focus my depleting inner resources on my core circle. Then, I lost one of the most important relationships in my life after a shocking event revealed a misalignment of values. And to top it off, even dating was a mess.

Nearly six years after arriving in the U.S. for graduate school, I boarded a plane and headed home. My field research itinerary required a stop in Nigeria, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. I spent quality time with my parents and brother, rekindling connections with friends and loved ones that time and distance had severed. However, the obligations in Nigeria demanded more of my time at the expense of my research, and any excitement about my upcoming trip to Ghana gradually faded.

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Two weeks ago, when I boarded a flight to Ghana from Lagos, Nigeria, I had no excitement, expectations, or energy, and, strange enough for a researcher, no questions. The trip had become something that needed to be done to achieve the next milestone in this doctoral journey. The flight would have been uneventful, except I paid more for extra luggage at the airport than I did to purchase the ticket. I embarked on this journey with no idea what I'd gotten myself into, and this is where the story begins!

The first thing that struck me about Ghana was the Kotoka International Airport. It was clean, well-lit, and organized. Getting through customs and immigration was seamless, and the officers were direct, polite, and warm. The atmosphere was calm, not in an out-of-place way; instead, the air carried the rhythm of hopeful but content people. It was a jarring shift from Lagos' energy and the racing pulse of Nigeria. The wi-fi worked, the trolleys were free, and nobody was trying to hustle me. I took a deep breath and exhaled; at that moment, something shifted to make room for rest. Without understanding it, I felt an embrace of sorts. I was in a new place, but it also felt familiar, like the place knew me already and could not wait to usher me in. 

My host picked me up, and throughout the drive, I was enraptured by the choreography of new sights and sounds. Still, I recognized the similarities between Accra and cities in Nigeria. These parallels began to pique my curiosity. My pulse picked up, and currents of excitement started to simmer beneath the surface. Then came the questions. I wondered about the people, the culture, the architecture, and the music. I was no longer behind a desk, researching papers and policies on Ghana and its cocoa sector or theories that explained systems; I was here, and my research was alive around me. I did not have to come ready, not in the way that I thought. In those moments, the inner resources I would need for the journey ahead started to emerge; the first was enthusiasm. I had come for work, but I knew on that drive home that I was also here to reawaken parts of myself that had been in hibernation while discovering new dimensions of myself.

Beyond the excitement and personal revelations, the heart of my journey here is academic. It's about asking the right people the right questions, immersing myself in realities that hold paths to desired change, and confronting ideas with an open mind and critical thought. This trip marks the beginning of fieldwork for my doctoral research, focused on Ghana’s cocoa sector - a crucial pillar in the country’s economy and socio-politics. My research explores how cocoa farmer cooperatives can act as intermediaries of resilience in the face of climate change and socioeconomic challenges across levels. It's about understanding the systems that enable or inhibit farmers' adaptation and thriving, and how the global cocoa industry intersects with local realities.

As I settle into this new chapter, I’m not just gathering data for a dissertation. I'm exploring how resilience manifests on the ground. How does a cooperative structure influence a farmer’s ability to respond to shocks? How does local knowledge mix with global forces? What does agency mean for the cocoa farmer in the face of global power structures that dictate the trajectory of cocoa futures? These questions, and many more, await answers. As this journey unfolds, I realize that it's not just Ghana's cocoa world I'm uncovering — it's a deeper understanding of resilience, both in the sector and in myself. 

Taken at the Dikan Center, Accra, Ghana (2025)

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Author's Note: 

I write this for myself and for you, for it is in our learning about each other's stories that we break down walls of division and rebuild a world that has room for all of us. This is also a window into the more colorful journey that births some white papers and research papers shaping our world. 

It's been four years since I wrote creatively, and this is me returning to the part of me that is most honest and most generous. This is a greeting from Nma, the writer. Thank you for reading and do well to share as we explore, in this series, the breadth of the cocoa universe in an extraordinary country. 

You can follow me on Instagram @nma.the.african