Steed Limited, has successfully organized a cocoa seminar as part of the 2023 National Chocolate Week Celebration on Thursday, February 8, 2023.
The cocoa seminar sought to highlight the relevance of the cocoa industry and its stakeholders and promote the consumption of cocoa products in Ghana and across Africa. It also had the aim to drive interest among Ghanaians, especially the youth, to consume chocolate and cocoa-related products.
The notable personalities of the cocoa industry that participated in the seminar as panelists discussed and suggested innovations that will catalyze the consumption of chocolate and cocoa-related products in Ghana.
Head of Public Affairs of COCOBOD, Mr Fiifii Boafo, in his opening remarks unveiled that COCOBOD, the regulator of the industry, is creating the necessary platforms to attract publicity for chocolate makers to exhibit their products. He further stated, stakeholders should nullify the perception that COCOBOD must do everything to sustain and advance progress, rather, called for collective efforts from all industry players in the cocoa sector.
Speaking at the seminar, the Board Chairman of Steed Limited, Mr Charles Mensah, who is also a seasoned financial consultant, seized the opportunity to advise land owners and traditional rulers to deem it very imperative not to trade cocoa lands for illegal mining popularly known as galamsay which is apparently destroying the cocoa growing enterprise in Ghana. He emphasized that “Our economic independence will not go far unless it is linked to the total protection of cocoa lands, cocoa farmers and supply chain of cocoa”.
It has been observed Ghana consumes less than 5percent of the cocoa it produces and more strangely some farmers do not know the final products of the cocoa they cultivate to sustain the industry.
Also present was Mr Samuel Adimadoe, President of LICOBAG, who agreed with Mr Fiifi Boafo during a discussion with the moderator, Richfield Quarshie, Chief Operations Officer of Steed Limited.
Mr Adimadoes affirmed that Ghana’s success story in cocoa production is distinct and it is time to direct similar efforts in cocoa production to the consumption of Chocolate and cocoa-related products.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has adopted National Chocolate Week to celebrate and promote the consumption of chocolate in Ghana. The National Chocolate Day Celebration coincides with Valentine’s Day which falls on 14th February every year to boost the domestic consumption of Ghana chocolate and other cocoa-based products, promote domestic tourism, and give a healthy orientation to the celebration of Valentine’s Day.
The 2023 edition is planned to span from February 8 to 14, 2023.
Steed Limited, the organizing company, is a licensed cocoa-buying company that operates in the two largest cocoa-producing regions in Ghana: Western and Western-north. The seminar was officially in partnership with LICOBAG and occasioned in the studios of MX-24 TV.
