When I signed up for the seminar on “What’s God Got to Do With It? Colonialism and the Basel Mission in Ghana” in the fall term of 2023, my main interest was in the trade relations between the Basel Trading Company (BTC) and the Gold Coast and the company’s connection to the Basel Mission (BM). The initial contact of Basel traders with West Africa did not come through business, but rather through the BM, which had been active in the region since 1828.1 In examining this connection, I focused on cocoa production, although I am aware that the BM was also involved in trading other goods. During our excursion tour in Akuapem in January 2024, especially at Mampong-Akuapem, where we visited the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Farms, I learnt that cocoa cultivation was crucial to the people in the area. The BM had left remarkable traces at Akuapem. In addition to establishing churches, schools, and hospitals, the missionaries also pioneered the cultivation of cocoa. This legacy continues to this day, as we learned during a tour of the Tetteh Quarshie plantation at Mampong.

In the archives of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Basel, I came across an article from 1935 that narrated the history of the BTC.[1] I was surprised to find many parallels in the oral narratives projected in Mampong today and the 1935 article.

A chapter of the article, entitled „The Romance of Cacao Cultivation”, sheds light on the beginnings of cocoa cultivation in Ghana. It narrates that Sir W. Brandford Griffith, the then Governor of the Gold Coast, received a shipment of cocoa pods from an acquaintance in São Tomé (today a part of Equatorial Guinea). The seeds from these pods were carefully planted at Aburi, and the seedlings were distributed to neighboring chiefs and missionaries of the BM.2 According to the article, “the seedlings obtained as a result of this first crop, Sir W. Griffith states, supplied the ‘cacao nurseries’ […].“3
Interestingly, immediately following this passage, the unknown author of the article points out that their information and knowledge about the activities of the BM come from external sources. However, they are aware that there are direct sources in the mission’s archives. These sources suggest that missionaries had been experimenting with cocoa seedlings in the Akropong region since 1858. From then on, Basel missionaries continued cultivating cocoa, sending seedlings to stations in Aburi, Mampong, and Odumase, where small plantations were established. Recognizing the value of the missionary stations’ efforts, the BTC soon associated themselves with these endeavors and helped to promote these developments further.
As a result, cocoa cultivation contributed to improving the living standards of the people of the Gold Coast and brought about economic development in the region.[2]

In the context of the excursion, I had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Mr. Leonard Opoku Agyemang, who was also a member of our group. Not only does Leonard Agyemang have scholarly insights into the topic of cocoa cultivation through his ongoing PhD work; he also has personal connections to the topic. His family enterprise stills owns numerous large cocoa plantations and remains highly active in this industry. Our conversation covered current issues related to Ghana’s foreign trade, integration within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the present situation regarding the diversification of the economic sector.
I would like to address a few points that emerged from the interview. On the one hand, I wanted to understand how cocoa prices are being determined, how this has changed with ECOWAS membership, and how this has impacted the real wages of cocoa farmers. Leonard Agyemang explained that prices are set by the government, which, however, aligns them with the world market prices. Individual cocoa traders cannot independently set prices. In terms of market price regulation, the economic integration into ECOWAS has brought some advantages. However, cocoa prices in general are fundamentally too low to be considered „fair“ trade. The ECOWAS has also exacerbated certain differences between member countries in political and legal matters, such as freedom of movement and intra-industrial trade. The interview also touched upon various impacts and problems, such as the threat to cocoa production from the increasing dominance and displacement by illegal gold mining, which is also connected to the government.
Leonard Agyemang consistently emphasized the importance of cocoa to Ghana’s national history, identity, lifestyle, and religion. However, Ghana heavily relies on cocoa exports, while everyday food items are largely imported, resulting in a lack of diversification in the agricultural sector. This form of dependence can be viewed as a modern form of colonization.
