By Benjamin Akoto
Sunyani, Oct. 01, GNA – Nana Akwasi Bosompra I, the Paramount Chief of Goaso Traditional Area, has announced his commitment to spearheading a day to honour only women cocoa farmers.
He said he would pursue that effort in collaboration with other paramount chiefs to designate the day to honour the women cocoa farmers.
He acknowledged that there was the need to celebrate the invaluable contributions of women in cocoa farming to bolster the confidence of those remarkable individuals as models in their respective communities for other young girls and women to emulate their achievements.
Nana Bosompra I, announced this when he was speaking at the Brong-Ahafo Women Co-operative Farmers and Marketing Central Union (BAWCOF) Limited festival 2023 at the Jubilee Park in Sunyani.
Held on the theme: “Empowering Women in Sustainable Development Goals, Nurturing Women, Nurturing Cocoa, Promoting Sustainability Together,” the festival brought together about 7000 members from 96 societies in nine cocoa districts in the Brong-Ahafo Cocoa Region.
He commended the significance and the dedication of women engaged in cocoa farming, stating that the farming occupation was time-demanding and required constant attention and effort to ensure a bountiful harvest to gain the necessary financial returns and other rewards.
Nana Bosompra advised cocoa farmers in general, to explore additional avenues for skill development, particularly by harnessing the potential of cocoa byproducts, acquire additional employment skills, unlock new opportunities, and generate extra income to improve their livelihoods.
Ms Martha Addai, President of BAWCOF reiterated the cooperatives’ staunch commitment to its members’ financial well-being, saying achieving that goal required the establishment of credit unions to ensure continuous flow of financial support to the members.
She announced that BAWCOF envisioned the creation of an agrochemical shop, as a haven for farm inputs, catering not only for the needs of members but also the wider farming community.
Ms. Addai stressed the need for BAWCOF to have a more spacious office for the leadership to operate and engage members to address their concerns with utmost efficiency and professionalism.
Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and Mr Michael Asumanu, the Brong-Ahafo Cocoa Regional Administrator of the COCOBOD earlier addressed the participants and urged them to continue to work hard and enroll unto the Cocoa farmers pension scheme.
GNA