The Kuapa Kokoo Co-operative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Limited (KKFU) has laid down plans to train and enroll 1500 young women into cocoa farming in the next five years.
This was disclosed at the 25th Annual Delegates Conference of the KKFU for 2018/19 in Kumasi.
The program which was dubbed ‘Young women in Cocoa Projects’ is geared towards empowering women and their participation in the cocoa business.
President of the KKFU, Madam Fatima Ali expressed concern about how some young females in Ghana are reluctant to venture into the cocoa sector.
According to her, the outfit was taking proactive measures in engaging the younger generation into the sector since they were the right age group who can sustain and improve the gains of the sector in the future.
“The young women are always encouraged to show interest and participate in the cocoa business. This is to ensure that they take over from the old people who are already in the sector and will retire in a few years to come. At Kuapa Kooko, our target is to empower about 1500 young women in cocoa farming in the next five years”, she indicated.
Madam Ali emphasized that when women are given equal access and rights, the whole community benefits.
This indicates a marked growth in education, health, income as well as community and political engagement and participation.
The inclusion of women in the cocoa business has resulted in an increase in female membership in the KKFU from 33% to over 35%.
Initiatives such as the Yam project and the training of women in bead making, soap making and the processing of local rice have been extended to women groups in the communities the union operates.
The initiatives were introduced to provide women with alternative livelihoods.
Kuapa Kooko adopts technology to safeguard the lives of members
Managers of Kuapa Kooko said they will adopt technological strategies to safeguard the lives of cocoa purchasing clerks from attacks by armed men.
Robbers continue to target purchasing clerks in cocoa-growing communities in parts of Ghana – a situation which sometimes results in loss of lives.
The latest incident is the murder of the Tepa District Manager of Kuapa Kooko Limited by some unknown gunmen who stormed a cocoa depot where the deceased was working.
Managers of the Company noted that they will soon introduce electronic payment systems to ensure cocoa purchasing clerks and farmers do not carry cash with them.
Managing Director (MD) KKFU Samuel Adimado said management is collaborating with the police to improve security at the various depots to avert such attacks in the future.
He disclosed that they will introduce the cashless system of payments and transactions so that they will not keep cash at the depots.
This he indicated is part of deepening the strategies of the Ghana COCOBOD which is championing the use of the electronic system in making transactions in the cocoa sector.
The conference was on the theme “Building Strategic Partnership (SDG17) to reduce hunger and end extreme poverty under the SDG 1 and 2”.
The conference brought together, executives and the entire KKFU community to enable them deliberate on the journey and how to strategize to consolidate the gains in the cocoa sector.