On the sidelines of the 54th Session of the Board of Directors of the International Cocoa Initiative – ICI, an international body representing the world’s major chocolate manufacturing companies, meeting for the first time on Cameroonian soil, Cameroon’s Minister of Trade, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana, presided over the opening ceremony of a key industry meeting on Tuesday afternoon, November 3, 2026, in Yaounde.

Gathering global chocolate industry stakeholders alongside institutional partners, the forum centered on the theme: “Turning social challenges into partnership opportunities for a responsible and sustainable cocoa sector in Cameroon.” The discussions focused primarily on addressing child labor, forced labor, and human rights violations across cocoa farming.

The ceremony featured three key addresses: Mrs. Euphrasie Aka, Africa Regional Director for the ICI Foundation; the Inspector General of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, representing Minister Grégoire Owona; and Minister of Trade Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana.

While the first two speakers concentrated on child labor mitigation, highlighting existing industry interventions in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, such as classroom construction and social support for vulnerable communities, the government official took a more direct stance, targeting what he views as the fundamental root cause of these social issues.

Addressing the assembly straightforwardly, the Trade Minister emphasized that the primary driver behind labor violations is the inadequate remuneration of farmers and a structural lack of market transparency.

He stressed that producers cannot be expected to meet strict market standards and sustainability mandates unless they receive fair pay for their labor. Framing the issue through the legal principle of a bilateral contract, he noted that market obligations must carry reciprocal financial commitments from buyers to growers.

Minister Mbarga Atangana reaffirmed that Cameroon is not asking for the impossible, but simply for equity and economic justice. He asserted that a responsible cocoa industry cannot rely on underpaid farmers, arguing that producer compensation must be treated as a core pillar of supply chain sustainability rather than a secondary variable.

In his view, fair pricing is not an auxiliary demand; it is a vital standard of compliance, a mechanism for social progress, and a necessary investment to ensure the long-term stability of global cocoa supplies.

At the end of his address, the Minister cited an ancient adage that “one does not cure a fever by breaking the thermometer,” stressing the imperative to tackle the core financial problem directly. Drawing a striking parallel, he quoted the late legendary Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, who famously remarked that anyone who loves the music must not forget the musicians.

Minister Mbarga Atangana delivered his final message to the global chocolate industry: “If we love cocoa, let us above all not forget the producers.”