By Prince Acquah, GNA
Anomabo (C/R), Feb. 16, GNA – The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) in the Central Region has called on the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to expedite the implementation of a blueprint to make locally made chocolate more affordable.
The Authority toured some historic monuments in the ancient town of Anomabo and a quiz for three selected secondary institutions in Anomabo and Cape Coast to mark this year’s National Chocolate Day.
The students selected from the Academy of Christ the King, University Practice Senior High and Kwegyir Aggrey Senior High Technical Schools visited the Memorial Garden of Return, formerly the Heroes Garden, commissioned by former President John Agyekum Kufuor on February 24, 2007, during the Ghana @50 Independence celebration.
They also toured Fort William built by the British for slave trade activities in 1753 after which a quiz was held to crown it.
The GTA after the tour distributed bars of chocolate to the students and some community members.
The Ridge Royal Hotel supported the celebration with some branded chocolates.
The National Chocolate Day was instituted by the government in 2005 to coincide with Valentine’s Day to promote Ghana’s premium chocolate products and make it an integral part of the country’s tourism experience.
This year’s celebration was on the theme: “Eat chocolate, stay healthy, grow Ghana.”
Despite the State’s efforts to make the consumption of Ghana-made chocolate a routine for every Ghanaian, the product is sorely expensive for which reason many citizens, including cocoa farmers, could not afford it.
In many parts of the country, a bar of chocolate sells between GHC10.00, GHC17.00 and GHC20.00 which is far beyond the means of many Ghanaians who struggle to afford three square meals a day.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) observed that the prices of chocolates go up in every Valentine’s season after which they never plummet.
This situation is counterproductive to the agenda to promote made-in-Ghana cocoa products, many consumers noted.
Mr Charles Kwaku Buabin, the Regional Director of GTA, speaking to the GNA at the celebration, noted that the Ghana Cocoa Board was aware of the situation and was working assiduously to make chocolate affordable.
He said the Board and its stakeholders had developed a comprehensive blueprint to make Ghana-made cocoa products less expensive to realise the vision of boosting the economy, tourism and health with cocoa.
He, therefore, implored the Board to step up efforts to implement the plan to change the status quo as soon as practicable.
Mr Buabin observed that the National Chocolate Day had largely succeeded in promoting pure love among spouses, families and friends on Valentine’s Day, and mitigated the promiscuity associated with the Day.
“Initially, people would drink alcohol and engage in promiscuous lifestyles as part of Valentine’s.
“But now, as Chocolate Day, we are promoting a healthy lifestyle, a healthy way of showing love, a healthy way of extending love to deprived communities and underprivileged individuals among us,” he said.
He called on Corporate Ghana to embrace the day and promote it in their own small ways to achieve the goal of a more morally upright society.
He said the Authority chose Anomabo to popularise the tourism facilities among Senior High Schools and make them familiar with the cultural and historic heritage of the ancient town.
Mr Victor Nana Osei Gyasi, the Site Manager of the Anomabo Tourist Information Centre, who guided the tour, also reiterated the need to promote Ghana’s cocoa products to increase consumption, pay back the hardworking farmers and boost the economy.
“When sensitisation goes down well and translates into consumption, it will definitely drive down the prices of chocolate because of economies of scale,” he indicated.
He urged the students to be patriotic, vigilant, and firm in their minds not to allow slavery to happen to Ghana again in any form.
Mr Nii Adjetey Adjei, the Senior Human Resource Manager of the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly, who represented the Municipal Chief Executive, advised the students against leaving Ghana to escape hardship.
“Stay and fight and work and make sure everything works for the country. The countries you are running to are over 200 years and so if stay you here and ensure the country works, we are going to be like them,” he said.
GNA