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Strategic collaboration will safeguard cocoa industry
Strategic collaboration implies that two or more organisations or individuals will come together to work in the interest of parties in order to be able to achieve their purpose whenever they are faced with certain challenges or obstacles which they need to overcome to promote their common interest.
It may be possible for an individual to adopt a method that will help to promote the interest of that individual, but this cannot always be successful depending on prevailing circumstances. Whenever circumstances are highly unfavourable, an individual may not be able to come out with an option that may be as effective as expected to overcome the challenge.
Challenges
As a nation, Ghana has been faced with a number of challenges over the years. In 1983, for example, the country experienced a number of bush fires in various parts which resulted in food shortage in the country at the time. Prior to this, that is, in the late 1970’s, there had been similar food shortages in the country even though early on the Acheampong government had successfully introduced what was known as “Operation Feed Yourself”.
The “Operation Feed Yourself” was an agricultural programme that was introduced to encourage people to go into farming and produce enough to feed their families. Every available space in people’s backyard was to be utilised to produce food for the family. The programme proved to be very successful from 1973 to about 1975. By 1977, hunger had started to hit the country again, making the Acheampong government very unpopular.
Maximises production
These past challenges in the area of agriculture have guided Ghanaians to realise the need to maximise production in the agricultural sector so as to be able to feed themselves and possibly export food to other countries. Even though some governments that followed did not learn any lesson from this, the government of Akufo-Addo appears to have learnt something from what was experienced in the late 1970’s and also in the early 1980’s, hence the introduction of “Planting For Food and Jobs” and other programmes to alleviate the plight of the Ghanaian.
The challenges faced by the country in the early 70s and 80s could not be used to guide subsequent governments that were put in charge of the administration of this country. For this reason, the agricultural sector did not see much improvement.
Similarly, other challenges have emerged to confront the country today in spite of the successes chalked by this country. For example, for many years, cocoa had served as the backbone of the economy of Ghana, providing for many of its socio-economic needs to enhance the welfare of the people. Understood in this sense, the cocoa industry is vitally linked to the growth and welfare of the country. If the cocoa industry does well, the whole national economy also does well to the benefit of everyone.
Cocoa industry beneficiaries
The beneficiaries of the cocoa industry are numerous. Cocoa farmers in the country will be the first to emphasise that it is the industry that has sustained them and their families up to this time. Again, many cocoa processing companies have benefited from the industry by way of employment and incomes that have been earned over the years.
Also, as a nation, the country has earned substantial sums of income in form of foreign exchange to undertake numerous development projects. The building of hospitals and construction of roads as well as schools and tertiary institutions, among others, have all been made possible as a result of the earnings from cocoa over the years.
Cocoa Board Scholarship
It is equally important to note that it is earnings from cocoa that enabled Ghana to establish Cocoa Board Scholarship for many students. This assisted many of them to pursue their educational dreams and to prepare them adequately to become useful citizens.
All these are indications of the great strategic role that has been played by the cocoa industry to the economy of Ghana. It is for this reason that every effort will have to be made to protect the industry. If this is not done and the industry suffers, the effect will be disastrous for the country.
In recent times, we have heard of stories threatening the foundations of the industry in the sense that the operation of illegal small-scale mining is adversely affecting the soil on which the cocoa crop is grown. The industry has been threatened also with deforestation which is affecting the cocoa industry. Apart from deforestation, illegal small-scale mining has also adversely affected waterbodies in the country. It has even been predicted that a few years from now, if the situation is not checked, Ghana will be forced to import water.
Reversing the unfavourable trend
What this means is that strenuous effort will have to be made to reverse this unfavourable trend so that the cocoa industry will be safeguarded. This does not depend only on Ghana or Cote d’Ivoire who are the major cocoa producing countries but all other countries that also serve as consumers of the cocoa product as well as the processes.
The collapse of the cocoa industry is, therefore, a threat to many countries in the world. It is for this reason that a collective effort is needed to right every wrong that is plaguing the cocoa industry. It is in the light of this that Ghana and cocoa and chocolate companies have announced an agreement to accelerate collaboration to protect and restore forests in cocoa-growing areas.
With this agreement, the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) and the Forestry Commission of Ghana (GFC) are building a partnership to further align the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme (GCFRP) and the Cocoa & Forests Initiative to achieve no deforestation commitments. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed by GFC and WCF, commits the parties to working together in six regions where the government of Ghana has initiated action to protect and restore forests as a priority.
Economic importance of cocoa
The importance of cocoa to the economy of Ghana cannot be overemphasised. This is because the cash crop is a major source of foreign exchange for the country. Again, as has been pointed out already, it is money from cocoa that is used to build hospitals and roads for the benefit of the country.
About 800,000 small scale cocoa farmers make up 60 per cent of the country’s agricultural base. However, despite their importance to Ghana’s development, many cocoa farming families live in poverty, a situation that ought to be changed without delay.
In a nutshell, cocoa is the backbone of the economy of Ghana. If this is the case, then Ghana together with other partners will have to do all it can to revive the cocoa industry from collapse. This can be done, so let all the partners work assiduously for our common good and welfare.
Dr Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
THE state of feeling rejected, could be a terrifying experience especially for those who have become used to fame. If not properly addressed, it could lead to depression and the consequences, could be disastrous.
When you are on top of your game in whatever profession you find yourself such that you become famous, a lot of people try to associate with you. The phone never ceases to ring and one is tempted to feel loved and very important.
When a disaster strikes and the fame or the money which was the source of the attraction fades away, the circle of friends and fans begin to shrink and the phone will start to stop ringing until the call stops voting completely.
You will be shocked at how people you considered friends, will no longer be calling you or pay casual visits as they used to. You will begin to notice that messages you leave after calling them and not getting a response are not replied to and that is when you begin to know who your true friends are.
One of the most popular movie stars was an actress called Sharon Stone. In an interview with one of the media houses that was published, she spoke about how people who should have come around to encourage her in her moment of depression, shunned her. The calls stopped coming.
This is what the Bible admonishes that the arm of flesh will fail you and therefore we should put our trust in God. It could be a very frightening experience and can easily lead to depression.
Human nature being what it is, people will want to get close if things are okay. Everybody wants to associate themselves with interesting things, famous people, rich people etc for mainly selfish reasons.
We need to develop the habit of putting our trust in God and relying less on human beings. The lesson we have to take along in life is that, no one marries his or her enemy so how come people who took vows that they will love each other become so hostile to each other that they want to go their separate ways in life? Such is the reality of life.
It is therefore prudent for people to recognise that, life is full of uncertainties and so there is the need to prepare your mind for uncertainties so that when they occur, they do not disorganise your mental sanity.
A lot of people have experienced situations where people who they could have sworn will never betray their trust have disappointed them when they were through challenging moments.
If there is one thing famous people should desire, it should be the ability to identify who are true friends are. Countless stories abound regarding incidence of celebrities who have lost their shine and their wives divorcing them soon after.
It is sometimes useful as a famous or rich person to sign a prenuptial agreement before marriage to safeguard or protect yourself from any future unpleasant surprises.
People can be very pretentious these days, it goes both ways. There is this real life story where a man married a divorced wealthy woman and convinced her to sell her house so they could build a new one together, with the excuse that people are gossiping that he is being housed by a woman.
The woman agreed and they put up a new building. After a few years the man asked for a divorce, only for the woman to realise that the land on which the building was situated, was bought in the man’s name.
This can drive a person insane, if you are not mentally tough and this happens to you. When people hear that you are homeless, a lot of your so-called friends will stop calling, so that you do not become a burden on them.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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‘But, er …. I don’t even know your name’.
‘Paul. Paul Allotey. I’m Sarah, by the way. Paul, why don’t you leave me here, since this is the last important thing I’m doing today’.
‘Okay. Now Sarah. I was just thinking. You will be here at the cafe for about an hour. By then it will be about twelve thirty. Then, you would be thinking of buying yourself some lunch, to eat here or to take home. So if you would please allow me, I will take you to one of the nicest eating places in town, and after you have sorted that one out, then I can drop you home. Just that one errand, then I won’t bother you again’.
‘You are not bothering me at all. You are being very kind to me. And I just realised you are a mind reader too. The last item on my agenda was lunch’.
‘I’m so glad I appeared at your doorstep, just in time’.
‘Okay. Now Paul, since you say the cafe is a comfortable place, let’s go in together, and you can do your work while I get my application done’.
‘Okay, Sarah. Thanks. Let’s go’.
We got back in the car at eleven forty-five.
‘So where are we going, Paul?’
‘To Royalty restaurant. It’s a twenty minute drive away’.
‘So, do you enjoy your job?’
‘Most certainly. I won’t change it, not even to be President. And am I right to say that you are preparing to enter the university?’
‘That’s my plan. I hope it works’.
‘It will, if you are determined, and disciplined. You look very much like a disciplined person’.
‘Thank you very much’.
We arrived at Royalty in twenty-five minutes, ‘You are joining me for lunch, Paul’.
‘Thanks for the honour, Sarah. But the bill is on me’.
‘Aren’t you taking on too much for one day?’
‘I never do anything that is bigger than me, Sarah’.
Over the next hour and a half, we discussed fashion, local and international politics, and sports, as we ate and relaxed. Finally, he drove me to the shop.
‘I will never forget you, Paul’.
‘I’m glad to have been helpful. But if you don’t mind, I’ll say it again, your husband is extremely lucky. You are really beautiful’.
‘Thanks again. But do you mind if I call you sometime in the future?’
‘Certainly not. Let me write it here. I will not ask for your number, for obvious reasons. But I will be looking forward to hearing from you. And hopefully, I will see you next month, when I call to drop your bill’.
‘Okay Paul. See you then’. What a lovely day, I said to myself as I opened the front door. I closed the shop and got home by seven. I went straight to the bedroom, stood in the mirror and took a good look at myself. ‘You are a very beautiful woman, Sarah. Never forget that’. I will not forget that, again.
Over the next several weeks, Martin and I had very little to do with each other. In the morning he ate his breakfast and after a shabby ‘I’m going’, he left. He came home around eight at the earliest, ate his dinner and, already soaked in beer, went off to sleep.
He spent the greater part of the weekends at the club house with his friends, playing tennis and partying. My mind was focused on furthering my education, so I didn’t complain to him, and didn’t bother to inform my parents about what was happening. I had decided that I would only take action if he lifted his hand against me again. I spent my free time reading all manner of interesting stuff on the internet, and chatting with my sister on WhatsApp.
One evening, he came home at about eight, rushed to the bedroom and rushed out. An envelope, obviously containing money, dropped out of his pocket, and I picked it up and followed him. I was going to call him and give it to him, but I noticed that there was a young woman in the car, so I went back in, counted it and put it in a drawer in the hall. He came back after some ten minutes.
‘Excuse me, I dropped an envelope containing money. You must have seen it’.
‘Yes, I saw it. Actually, I followed you, and was about to call you and hand it over to you when I realised that there was a woman in the car, so I came back in. I counted it. One thousand cedis.
‘Well let me have it. I have to be going’.
‘I will let you have it if you will tell me who the woman in the car is, and why you are going to give her that amount of money’.
‘Listen, if you waste my time, I will teach you a lesson you will never forget. Give me the money now!’
‘Here’s what we will do, Martin. I know you will give money to her anyway, so I will give it to you, if you will withdraw the threat you just issued. But I want you to know that I will be taking some steps from tomorrow. Things are getting out of hand’.
‘Okay, I’m sorry I threatened you. Can you please give me the money’. I handed it over to him, and he ran out’.
The following morning, I waited for him to finish having breakfast, and told him I wanted to have a word with him urgently.
‘You better be quick. You know I’m going to work’.
‘Well, I want to inform you that I will inform my parents, and your parents, about the situation in this house. As I said yesterday, things are getting out of hand. You spend most of your time drinking. You get drunk every evening, and through the weekend. And you are also spending your time and money on a prostitute’.
‘How dare you? One more stupid word from you …’
‘Am I lying, Martin? You have just started life, yet you are behaving like a rich, elderly man who has already seen his children through university, and can afford a life of fun. As I said, I’m going to inform our parents. Maybe your parents can straighten you out before it is too late’.
‘Look, we can talk this evening. It’s nothing like what you are saying’. He walked away, shocked.
That evening, I was expecting to have a meaningful discussion with him, but his mother called early in the evening to offer me some ‘advice’. Her son had called to say that certain developments at home were disturbing him so much that they were beginning to affect his work.
And, ‘as a loving mother to her daughter’, she was advising me to submit to my husband, and support him in prayer, and not ‘drive him from home’. Men would always be men, and she was telling me ‘from experience’ that no matter how much time Martin stayed away from home, he would always come home to me.
She had been a young wife before, so she understood the challenges I was facing. So I could be assured that if I followed her advice, all would be well. And, of course, she didn’t allow me to tell my side of the story.
Martin came home very late, and very drunk. And from the next morning, he carried on as before. With some hesitation, I called my dad and told him all that had gone on.
‘Well, my daughter. I’m not going to say “I told you so”. I was only trying to protect you. So here’s what we’ll do. Continue doing the best you can, and try not to give him any excuse to harm you, but if things continue to deteriorate, I will take you back.
A couple of days later, my cousin Dinah arrived in Accra from Brussels, having completed her medical course. With Martin’s agreement, I went to Koforidua and spent a couple of days. I spent most of the time chatting about her experiences in the US, but we also discussed my relationship with Martin, and she endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if Martin’s behaviour did not change after two weeks Elaine informed Mom and Dad. We endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if there was no change in two weeks.
Dinah returned with me to Takoradi. Her plan was to spend a couple of weeks, and return to Accra to be posted. I called Paul Allotey, and asked if he would meet her for lunch and, if possible, show her some interesting spots. Delighted, he suggested that we meet at Royalty the next day.
I told Martin about it, to remove any possibility of future disagreement over ‘going out with men’.
‘It’s fine with me’, he said, ‘if, of all the people who could show your sister round this town, you chose a borla man. Doesn’t that indicate the kind of person you are?’
‘ First of all, Martin’, I’ve spoken to him a few times, and he comes across as a decent guy, so I think it is rather unfortunate that you are writing him off when you don’t know him’.
By Ekow de Heer
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