Position Ghana as chocolate hub to attract investors, tourists - Manso Nkwanta MP urges govt

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Manso Nkwanta in the Ashanti Region, Tweneboah Kodua Fokuo, has stressed the urgent need for the government to help position Ghana as a global tourism destination.

He also called on the Tourism Ministry to critically look at how it can work with stakeholders to leverage the country’s cocoa dominance to reap maximum benefits from its cocoa production.

“We must strategically shift from merely exporting raw cocoa beans to adding value through chocolate production to promote our cocoa, which is premium, sustainable and ethically sourced,” he said.

Tourist attraction

Speaking on the floor of Parliament to mark Chocolate Day last Friday, Mr Fokuo said: “Being the second largest producer of cocoa globally, our ability to grow our chocolate industry will attract huge numbers of tourists annually on Chocolate Day.

“Our Tourism Ministry, having been successful in making Ghana a Christmas destination, should look at ways of branding the country as a destination for speciality chocolate,” the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP said.

Distinct identity  

The Manso Nkwanta MP stated that to achieve sustainable growth in the cocoa industry, the government must invest heavily in local chocolate manufacturing facilities.

The immediate past Managing Director of the National Investment Bank also emphasised the need to create a conducive environment to allow local entrepreneurs and international investors to form partnerships with licensed cocoa buying companies.

Through that, Mr Fokuo said, Ghana could create a distinct identity by incorporating local flavours and using attractive designs in packaging that showcased the rich cultural heritage of the country.

“The Ministry of Tourism can partner with global organisations to promote Ghana as the chocolate capital of the world on Valentine's Day and organise events such as chocolate tasting, cooking classes and cultural performances to attract international visitors.

“Again, we must collaborate with international chocolate experts to share knowledge and improve production technologies as well as promote science, technical, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education focused on agriculture and food processing to build a skilled workforce,” the MP said.

Context

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and its agency, the Ghana Tourism Authority, have earmarked February as Chocolate Month and February 14 as Chocolate Day.

This year, all regional directorates of GTA organised different events to commemorate the day as a way of inculcating the taste for chocolate in Ghanaians.