By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Feb. 8, GNA – The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), in collaboration with Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), has launched the 2025 National Chocolate Week Celebrations with the call on hospitality facilities across Ghana to incorporate chocolates and cocoa based products as part of their menu.
Mr Ekow Sampson, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the GTA in Charge of Operations, encouraged the hospitality establishments and airlines to also distribute complimentary chocolates to patrons as a symbol of love and care on February 14.
He said the health benefits of chocolate consumption were enormous, from lowering blood pressure and risks of stroke, to reducing the risk of clotting and increasing blood circulation to the heart.
“Chocolate consumption also combats diabetes, improves brain function, boost athletic performance and reduces
stress. It has been established that the higher the cocoa content, the more beneficial bioactive compounds the chocolate contains. Most of the benefits seen in research are associated with chocolate that has at least a 70 percent cacao content.”
Mr Sampson said the national chocolate week celebrations instituted some years ago had shifted the interest and focus of Ghanaians to chocolate as a gift of love and gave valentine’s Day a healthy orientation.
He said the week was in line with the GTA’s marketing campaign initiated to boost domestic tourism that emphasized on local content and encouraged Ghanaians to consume local products and eventually reduce over-reliance on foreign and imported goods.
“It also seeks to accelerate the forward and backward supply value chain linkages between tourism, culture and creative arts as well as other sectors of the economy.”
The Deputy CEO said the sustained week celebration had witnessed a shift in the consumer attitudes towards locally produced cocoa products and translated into an increased per capita cocoa consumption from 0.45 kilogram (kg) to 1kilogram (kg) within the past five to seven years.
“The gradual shift in consumer attitudes has not only raised awareness about the nutritional and health benefits of cocoa but has also celebrated its national, cultural significance and fostered a sense of national pride.”
Mr Micheal Ekow Annan of COCOBOD said Ghana as the second leading producer of cocoa, was yet to reap all the benefits of it.
He said, “As we try to reap the full benefits of cocoa, we must appreciate its richness and recognize its potential not only as a product but as a source of pride, health and economic opportunity for all Ghanaians.”
He said promoting cocoa consumption could boost local demand and create a more sustainable market for cocoa. “It can also reduce over dependence on the global market and provide cocoa farmers with stable and reliable income.”
Mr Annan said, “Our cocoa is part of our cultural identity, and we must retain our pride in this product by consuming it regularly to reinforce its importance in our economy.”
He said as a country we must be able to incentivize our domestic chocolate processing centres’ with a lot of incentives, discounts, and credits to be able to promote and enhance cocoa consumption activities.
He noted that “by increasing our domestic cocoa processing capacity, we can create a sustainable environment for cocoa economy in Ghana.”
“Promoting cocoa consumption in Ghana is not just an economic strategy, but a celebration of our health and our future. It is a gift to us and has the power to improve our lives in ways that we are yet to fully realize. Let us stand together to embrace this natural treasure in any form.”
Mrs. Betty Kobi, Director of Marketing, GTA said programmes lined up for the week-long celebration include church visits on February 9, an exhibition from February 10 to 14 at the Cocoa House and GTA regional offices, and time with school children on February 11.
She said there would also be a visit to the National Chief Imam, golden bean recipe battle, and cocoa quiz competition at the Cocoa house on February 12, melting moment at the GTA head office and a visit to a cocoa community on February 13.
The celebration will be climaxed on February 14 with a street float from the GTA head office to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, where there would be a chocolate feast.
Mrs Kobi added that all regional offices of the GTA were also expected to visit the pediatric units of the regional hospitals to celebrate the day with patients.
The theme for this year’s celebration, which is also in collaboration with Cocoa Processing Company, is on the theme:] “Eat chocolate, stay healthy, grow Ghana”, with the sub-theme, “Chocolate for all: taste, share and care”.
GNA