Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, COCOBOD's chief executive, has given the newly formed National Committee for the Promotion of Cocoa Consumption (NCPCC) members the duty of adopting creative strategies to support the Board's efforts to build on the gains made in its domestic cocoa consumption push.
Hon Aidoo urged the nine-member team to commit to the committee's objective of increasing cocoa consumption in Ghana at a ceremony conducted at Cocoa House in Accra to establish the group.
"I would like to note that the new members of the Committee are individuals with experience in marketing communication, investment, tourism, and economics, to name just a few. They have accepted to carry this enormous responsibility for moving per capita consumption, which is currently around 1kg, to a more sustainable level.
According to the Chief Executive, the government has been pursuing a 50% cocoa processing policy for the past few years through COCOBOD in order to guarantee that at least half of the nation's annual cocoa output is processed locally, not only to benefit from the economic fortunes of the cocoa trade but also to promote the nutritional and health benefits of cocoa while encouraging widespread consumption among the populace.
"There is sufficient rationale for us to pick up the pace in the campaign to expand cocoa consumption, given the predicted growth in local processing as well as the existing relatively low per capita consumption. To guarantee a seamless entry into the African market, the COCOBOD AfCFTA Cocoa Consumption Committee has already been working hard with regional processors and government organisations, he continued.
The Committee would be in charge of creating concepts and strategies for the general promotion of cocoa consumption in Ghana, developing activities and programs that will raise public awareness of the nutritional and health benefits of cocoa and support a national drive to increase consumption of the beverage.
The NCPCC Chairman, Mr. Fiifi Boafo, commended the Board for putting its faith in the team to carry out the Committee's task, which principally entails raising the country's per capita consumption of cocoa to respectable levels.
Given the depth of knowledge of the newly nominated members, Mr. Boafo assured Management that the Committee would be committed to carrying out its purpose.
In order to assist the committee's work, he urged governmental institutions and decision-makers to work together and mobilise the required resources.
"My team and I will implore Management and policymakers to provide us the assistance we need to enable and accept policy recommendations on the numerous options put out by the committee. The faith put in the Committee would be justified by an effort made in cooperation by all parties, he said.
The committee's members are Mrs. Ruth Maafo GEPA, Mr. Ben Anane Nsiah - GTA, Mr. George Asafo Agyei - GIPC, and Dr. Raphael Odoom of the University of Ghana Business School. Samuel Takyi-CMC, one of the others,
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