The Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) has launched the maiden Cocoa Club Ghana project at the CRIG Primary School in Tafo to bring cocoa education near to the pupils and other youth in the area.

The club which was a fun-based educational outreach programme, would encourage the youth to connect with cocoa from the bean to bar, to shape and develop their knowledge of cocoa and its related activities.

The club would allow the youth to develop and promote their interest, realize their scientific skills and fulfill their quest to acquire in-depth knowledge and information through activities in the cocoa sector as well as provide insight into career opportunities with the cocoa sector and provide information.

At the launch, the Deputy Director, Head of the Social Science and Statistics Unit at CRIG, and Founder of the Cocoa Club, Mr Michael Owusu-Manu stated that for over a century, cocoa has been the backbone of the Ghanaian economy, holding over two million people who were directly and indirectly employed in the sector.

“It has been a primary source of income to many people globally as well as Ghanaian households and a major source of foreign exchange for the economy,” he said and added that the product has tremendous health and nutritional benefits.

However, he indicated that “nothing about cocoa, the most important commodity produced in Ghana is formally taught in schools or part of the regular curriculum,”

He added that it was about time to unveil and spread cocoa education through the club into schools, adding that the club would informally bring cocoa education into the schools to educate, inform, share knowledge and promote the use and consumption of cocoa and cocoa products among the youth.

He revealed that the club which has gone through a phase of testing has for a start started with about 260 pupils from CRIG Primary and JHS who were taken through educational tours at some experimental farms and Favour Laboratory, where they were educated on the history of cocoa and chocolate process making.

He said the club would have many benefits to the youth including building their leadership and managerial skills, sharing experiences and developing new skills, sharing experiences and developing new skills, extracurriculars would boost student life beyond classroom work among others.

For his part, the Acting Managing Director of Cocoa Processing Company, Dr Frank Asante said, the first President of Ghana, Osaagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah did not have the intention for Ghana to produce cocoa but to consume it as well.

He said for that reason he set up the cocoa processing company to process the cocoa beans to bar for consumption, adding that strategies were put in place to enable the country to control its cocoa.

He said over the years, the consumption of cocoa products has been low, adding that the establishment of such clubs was necessary to encourage young ones to patronize and nurture their minds towards the sector, as part of ways to sustain the cocoa industry.

Dr Asante pledged his outfit’s support to the club and encouraged the youth to join the club.

The Abuakwa North Municipal Education Director, Miss Abena Gyamena encouraged schools in the area to establish cocoa farms to whip up the interest of students adding that cocoa education would be added to the science and mathematics quiz programmes done in the area.

Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua