GHANA – Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has signed an agreement with Bühler, one of the world’s leading plant equipment manufacturer, to build Ghana’s local cocoa processing and value addition capacity through training, product development and technology guidance.
This is in line with the government’s plan to significantly increase the portion of Ghana’s cocoa which is processed locally to meet both the sub-regional and international consumption demands.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, at Bühler’s Cocoa Competence Centre in Abidjan, Hon Joseph Boahen Aidoo, the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, said the agreement will deepen the strong relationship COCOBOD already has with the Swiss company, both of whom are significant players in the world’s cocoa trade environment.
Bühler is one of the top-class organisations in the world when it comes to chocolate technology as it provides complete solutions for processing cocoa beans to high-quality chocolate masses.
“We want to support Ghana in its march towards a higher value creation in the country for the benefit of all Ghanaians.”
Heiko Feuring – President of Bühler Middle East and Africa
Hon Boahen Aidoo indicated that the partnership has come at an opportune time given that Ghana has begun a journey on the path of transformation of its cocoa sector, targeting to boost local processing and consumption.
“We want to move from the traditional cocoa production to a modern way of cocoa production. We also want to move from the supply of the mere primary commodity to value addition and that is where we find you to be a potential partner.
“You have the technology, and we need the technology, so, we want to work together. This partnership that we are forging today should continue to grow into the future and remain beneficial to the mutual interest of the two parties,” the COCOBOD boss said.
In his response, Mr Heiko Feuring, the President of Bühler Middle East and Africa commended the leadership of Hon Boahen Aidoo and the management of COCOBOD towards building a sustainable and prosperous cocoa value chain for Ghana through the introduction of farming improvement activities and the implementation of the Living Income Differential (LID).
“We hope this memorandum of understanding will be the landmark of a new fruitful and long-lasting collaboration to unlock the Ghanaian cocoa value chain potential.
“We want to support Ghana in its march towards a higher value creation in the country for the benefit of all Ghanaians,” he said.
He gave the assurance that Bühler will offer its expertise to Ghana in aid of the effort to build a solid local processing industry to capture a higher share of the US$100 billion cocoa and chocolate industry.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has been elected the first Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Ivory Coast-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (ICCIG).
The two countries unanimously elected Dr Afriyie Akoto to chair the Committee for the next fifteen (15) months.
His Chairmanship will span the remainder of the current cocoa season which ends in September 2021 and continue until the end of the next cocoa season in 2022.
The Steering Committee is the highest decision-making body of the initiative. It is responsible for formulating rules and regulations; ensuring the smooth implementation of the charter and functioning of the Secretariat; approve all budgets and work programmes of the Initiative; approve the rights and responsibilities of member countries and resolve conflicts among the member countries.
The ICCIG was formed in August 2020, aimed to promote the cocoa industries of Ivory Coast and Ghana internationally and defend their collective position in the global market.