Dr. Francis Padi, the Executive Director of the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), has appealed to those involved in the cocoa sector to support efforts to persuade the next generation to pursue careers in the sector.
He included agribusinesses that produce cocoa products as part of this career path, arguing that doing so would assist increase the consumption of cocoa products in Ghana and other nations.
Speaking recently at the Cocoa Club of Ghana’s official inauguration at CRIG’s premises in Akyem Tafo was Mr. Padi.
The club was founded to advance the cocoa industry, and a large portion of its membership consists of CRIG employees.
Dr. Padi emphasized that the younger generation’s interest in cocoa production and the agribusiness that processes cocoa beans into a variety of finished products could be sparked if industry stakeholders helped the cocoa club stay in touch with them.
Presently, cocoa beans can be processed in Ghana to make chocolate, soap, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Michael Owusu-Manu, the Deputy Director and Head of the Social Science and Statistics Unit of CRIG, explained that the club was an enjoyable educational outreach initiative designed to provide elementary school students with an understanding of cocoa production.
The club’s patron, Mr. Owusu-Manu, pointed out that 260 students from the CRIG M/A JHS were given a tour of the historical background of cocoa last year in that very direction.
He claimed that after learning about the fermentation of fresh cocoa beans on an experimental farm, the students were brought to a laboratory to sample chocolate flavor.
The formation of the cocoa club in the area, named “Cocoa through the Wheel of Time and the Sustainable Development Goals linked with Cocoa,” allowed basic school students to learn more about the history of cocoa from 1815 to the present. Abena Gyamerah, the director of education for Abuakwa North Municipality, expressed her happiness with this development.
In order to pique the children’s attention, she suggested that other schools teach them about the useful parts of cocoa planting and processing.
