Accra, Feb 17, GNA – Mr Kweku Temeng, a local chocolate entrepreneur, says access to local technology for value addition to cocoa is an obstacle for young entrepreneurs in the sector.
He has, therefore, called for concerted efforts through collaboration between the government and the private sector to make technology accessible for local production of cocoa products to increase consumption among the populace.
“Every equipment that you need is from outside. And sometimes it baffles my mind that how do we have a product that is originally from Ghana and Cote D’ Ivoire and yet every equipment that you need from grinding to tempering would be from outside?”
Mr Temeng, who is the Co-founder of Cocobytes Chocolate, relished the opportunity offered by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to organise a National Chocolate Week, which he said was “a fruitful avenue for highlighting the value of the commodity while helping local enterprises rake in some revenue.”
He described the business of cocoa as a flourishing industry with huge potentials that when well harnessed would inure to the benefit of the country, especially with the operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
An operator of a confectionery company, Mrs Evelyn Okuley, who is the Founder of All Save Enterprise, said the inhibitive cost of production, which reflected in higher prices of cocoa products tended to affect consumption.
“Locally when you want the milk, sugar and other ingredients to buy, sometimes it is very expensive and when you get them too it is too expensive.”
She called for support to make the process of regularising operation of cocoa processing and obtaining approval from regulatory agencies easier.
Mr Fiifi Boafo, Head of Public Affairs at COCOBOD, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, encouraged Ghanaians to eat more chocolate for good health.
GNA