Tema, July 11, GNA – Cargill Ghana, a Cocoa Processing and Licensed Buying Company and CARE International Ghana have cut the sod for the construction of a 6-Unit classroom block with ancillary facilities for the Adjei Kojo Community in the Tema West Municipality.
The project, which is part of Cargill’s plan to build six schools in five cocoa production districts and one in Tema West, is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative aligned with Cargill Cocoa Promise to strategically improve incomes and living standards of farmers and their communities while growing cocoa sustainably.
Mr Aedo Van Der Weij, Managing Director of Cargill Ghana, speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, indicated that Cargill continued to prioritise education because it was the foundation for which the future would be built, leading to sustainable economic empowerment, growth and resilience.
The Project is being executed in partnership with CARE International comprising of three primary schools, two kindergarten blocks, and one Junior High School in the Western North Region and Adjei Kojo in Tema West municipality.
Among those with the most pressing educational needs, the communities were identified through ‘PROSPER’ – Cargill’s needs assessment project with CARE International, as one aspect of the overall CSR approach, which mainly focuses on access to education, health, nutrition and economic empowerment.
Mr Van Der Weij said the project exemplified what Cargill stood for as a global leader in nourishing the world with a commitment to doing that in the most responsible, safe and sustainable way while reducing environmental impact and generally improving operational communities.
He said the company was guided by its values including; honesty and transparency, putting people first through safety, education, empowerment and development, with a vision to reach higher in impacting the future positively on all stakeholders.
He indicated that to have an even wider impact, there was the need for effective partnership with relevant stakeholders, and one such partnership was Cargill and CARE International partnership to support cocoa sustainability and working in cocoa-growing communities to build better lives for cocoa farmers and their families.
He emphasized that, since 2008, nine programmes had been implemented in 264 cocoa farming communities to address the critical challenges faced by farmers including cocoa production, preventing harmful child labour practices, women’s economic empowerment, access to financial services, nutrition and education.
Mr Van Der Weij noted that the partnership had helped people in cocoa growing communities to access the resources, skills and tools necessary to change their lives, and said, both outfits believed that sustainable food and agricultural systems were possible, only if improved rural livelihoods and the building of more inclusive systems were actively addressed to achieve sustainable and long-lasting impact.
Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, Chief of Staff, O, who performed the official groundbreaking for the construction of building said, the development of Ghana’s cocoa sector remained key to the country’s socio-economic advancement, as cocoa had over the years been a source of revenue and had contributed significantly to the enhancement of livelihoods in communities.
“The benefits from the cocoa sector remains enormous as it offers a reliable source of income to farmers and provides both formal and informal employment to the young, old, educated, and uneducated within the industry,” she said.
She expressed optimism that through the Cargill Schools Project, children around cocoa-growing communities and Adjei Kojo in Tema West would receive quality basic education, which would significantly contribute to the course of developing community resilience and the long-term sustainability of the cocoa sector.
Mr Carlos Kingsley Ahenkorah, Member of Parliament, Tema West Constituency, who lobbied for the project in 2017, expressed happiness at its commencement and commended Cargill for the commitment to make a difference in the lives of the people of Adjei Kojo in a sustainable manner through their CSR.
Present at the groundbreaking ceremony included; Mr John Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Minister for Education; Mrs Adwoa Amoako, Municipal Chief Executive, Tema West Municipal Assembly; Stephanie Sullivan, US Ambassador to Ghana; Ron Strikker, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ghana; Dr Emmanuel Opoku, Deputy CEO, Operations, COCOBOD and chiefs and opinions leaders of the community amongst other dignitaries.
GNA