Patricia Poku Diaby, known widely as Ghana’s Cocoa Queen, remains the richest woman in the country in 2025, a distinction she maintains through her quiet but dominant position in the West African cocoa industry. Diaby also holds the singular title of being Africa’s only woman to have built and currently own a large-scale cocoa processing factory.
The foundation of her empire began with the establishment of Plot Enterprise Group in Côte d’Ivoire. She subsequently returned to Ghana to build a massive 32,000-ton-per-year cocoa processing factory in Takoradi in 2010, alongside a grinding plant in Abidjan. Today, the Plot Enterprise Group processes close to 50,000 tons of cocoa annually, firmly establishing Diaby as one of the biggest local players in the region’s vital cocoa sector.
The daughter of the late businessman Francis Poku, Diaby has accumulated over 30 years of experience in the cocoa trade. She is noted for her extremely private nature, zero reported scandals, and absence of debt rumors, focusing instead on “quiet dominance.” Her net worth estimates fluctuate between $450 and $750 million, a range dependent on global cocoa prices. Diaby famously avoids chasing headlines, rarely grants interviews, and maintains no social media presence, preferring to let her business success—processing more cocoa than most of her male counterparts—speak for itself.
Ruth Abla ADJORLOLO
