Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening partnerships with local government institutions as part of efforts to sustain growth and deepen value-addition in the country’s cocoa sector.
Deputy Public Affairs Manager-COCOBOD, Benjamin Teye Larweh, gave this assurance when leading a delegation that made a courtesy visit to the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Agona West, Eric Gyamfi, as part of the Board’s ongoing stakeholder engagement programme in Central Region.
The engagement forms part of COCOBOD’s broader strategy to foster collaboration with Municipal, Metropolitan and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) across cocoa-growing areas.
The initiative seeks to strengthen information flow between the Board and local authorities, improve farmer support systems and build stronger local advocacy around cocoa processing and consumption.
Mr. Larweh emphasised that local government officials play a crucial role in driving community-level awareness and initiatives which can complement national policies on cocoa production and value-addition.
“Promoting local value addition is a shared responsibility,” he said. “The more we highlight the importance of processing and consumption at community level, the stronger our collective impact will be. Ghana’s leadership in cocoa production must be matched by our leadership in value addition.”
He noted that while various government and private sector interventions are already underway to enhance domestic processing and increase consumption of cocoa-based products, sustained advocacy at local level remains key to achieving the country’s industrialisation goals for the cocoa sector.
Mr. Larweh also highlighted COCOBOD’s continued commitment to ensuring farmers benefit from fair producer prices, improved extension services and innovative programmes aimed at boosting productivity and sustainability.
He said the engagement tour will allow the Board to gather valuable feedback from district assemblies, which will help shape future policies and interventions.
On his part, Agona West MCE Eric Gyamfi described the interaction as “insightful and timely”, commending COCOBOD for reaching out to local authorities.
He said such engagements enhance understanding of the sector’s dynamics and equip assemblies with accurate information to better engage with farmers and stakeholders.
Mr. Gyamfi lauded the team for clarifying the modalities for determining cocoa producer prices, saying the knowledge would guide the Assembly in explaining government decisions to farmers and community leaders.
“The insights shared by COCOBOD will help us build stronger partnerships with our local cocoa farmers and processors. It’s important that we all work together to sustain this vital industry,” he said.
He pledged to relay the information to local businesses and opinion leaders to promote stronger community involvement in cocoa-related initiatives.
The stakeholder engagement in Agona West forms part of COCOBOD’s regional outreach which includes similar interactions with MMDCEs, traditional authorities and farmer groups.
The exercise is designed to create an open platform for dialogue, address challenges in cocoa-growing communities and reinforce the shared commitment to sustaining Ghana’s position as a global leader in cocoa production and processing.
The post COCOBOD deepens collaboration with local authorities to boost cocoa value-addition appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.
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