Accra-Ghana, Feb. 15, GNA – The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Fairafric have commemorated this year’s National Chocolate Day celebration with a presentation of cocoa products to pupils and staff of the Dzorwulu Special School in Accra.
The presentation was to demonstrate love to the children with special needs.
They presented about 1000 packs of chocolate and cocoa products to the School.
Mr Jones Aruna Nelson, Head of Corporate Affairs, GTA, said the Day had been set aside to promote the consumption of locally made chocolate and cocoa based products to create opportunities for cocoa processing and value addition companies as well as chocolatiers to showcase their products.
He said the celebration also formed part of the domestic tourism initiative to encourage the populace to patronise made in Ghana products.
“In 2017 the per capital consumption of chocolate and cocoa products was 0.5kg as at now it is 1kg. But we need to do more because Ghana’s cocoa is premium and so if we patronise what we have we will create more employment and boost the economy.”
Mr Nelson said the Day was being commemorated nationwide with various activities and that various sales point had been set up across the country for patrons to buy chocolate or cocoa based products at subsided prices during the season.
Mr Ishmael Quaye, Marketing Team Lead, Fairafric, said as a chocolate producing company, they found the initiative worthy of supporting, since they believed in sustainability and impact.
“We ensure that whatever we do benefits society, and this presentation would give the children the opportunity to eat chocolate and have a feel of the season.”
Mr Quaye said promoting the consumption and health benefit of chocolate and making chocolate consumption a lifestyle in Ghana, would go a long way to boost production, create employment and generate revenue for the country.
“As we support this initiative, we are hopeful that government through the National Commission for Civil Education will put in efforts to create awareness about the consumption of chocolate and its health benefit.”
Mr Quaye noted that access to organic cocoa beans had been a challenge and entreated the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to make the beans readily available at affordable prices to local producers to be able to produce more chocolate, saying if that was not done, local processors would continue export the beans to make profit.
He commended government for putting in measures to regulate the prices of cocoa beans and appealed grants to support cocoa processing companies.
Mr Francis Tetteh, Headmaster, Dzorwulu Special School, appreciated the gesture, saying “these children feel more loved when they are in school and for the organisations to come together to do this, it means they love everyone but love the disabled more.”
Some individuals at the Achimota Mall also benefited from the gesture.
This year’s National Chocolate Week celebration is being organised by the GTA in collaboration with COCOBOD, the Cocoa Processing Company and other chocolatiers.
