The Gold Coast Cocoa Boom That Built a Nation

Long before independence, Ghana's modern economy was forged by cocoa. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how a single crop transformed the Gold Coast in the early 20th century — from Tetteh Quarshie's smuggled cocoa pods to the rise of African farmers who defied colonial monopolies. They trace the growth of the cocoa industry, the formation of the Cocoa Marketing Board, the devastating impact of swollen shoot disease in the 1930s and 1940s, and how cocoa profits funded roads, railways, and schools that later nurtured independence leaders like Kwame Nkrumah. Lucas unpacks the surprising story of how Ghana became the world's leading cocoa producer, the role of women in cocoa farming, and the 1937-38 cocoa hold-up that united farmers against British buying cartels. A specific, rich look at the economic engine behind the nation's birth. #Ghana #Cocoa #GoldCoast #TettehQuarshie #CocoaMarketingBoard #SwollenShoot #CocoaHoldUp #KwameNkrumah #ColonialEconomics #AfricanFarmers #CocoaBoom #Independence #WestAfrica #AgriculturalHistory #20thCentury #BritishEmpire #EconomicHistory #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo