Professor William Coffie, Managing Director of the Cocoa Processing Company PLC (CPC), has called for increased value addition to Ghana’s cocoa to enable the country to export finished products to the global market.

Prof. Coffie said Ghana must move beyond producing cocoa beans to processing them into finished products that carry the mark of Ghanaian excellence.

He made the call in a Heritage Month message in which he reflected on Ghana’s cocoa industry and the role of local processing in national development.

He noted that Ghana’s independence on March 7, 1957, marked a defining moment in the nation’s history, setting the country on a path of self-determination, industrial ambition, and national pride.

He said the celebration of Heritage Month provided an opportunity for Ghanaians to honour their culture, traditions, food, clothing, and music while also reflecting on the economic vision that accompanied the country’s political freedom.

“The month of March is celebrated as Heritage Month, a time to honour our culture, traditions, food, clothing, music, and the resilient spirit that defines us as Ghanaians,” he stated adding that “It is also a time to reflect on the economic vision that accompanied our political freedom.”

Prof. Coffie explained that the Cocoa Processing Company was established in 1965 by Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah as part of that national vision to ensure that Ghana not only produced cocoa but also processed it.

He said for six decades, the CPC had remained a symbol of Ghana’s commitment to value addition in the cocoa industry.

According to him, the company’s GoldenTree brand of chocolate confectionery and PORTEM brand of semi-finished cocoa products, produced solely from Ghanaian cocoa beans, represented quality, resilience, and national value creation.

Prof. Coffie said the products reflected the dedication of cocoa farmers, the expertise of CPC’s workforce and the enduring importance of cocoa to Ghana’s economy.

“As we celebrate Heritage Month, let us remember that our heritage is not only cultural but economic. It is embedded in the cocoa farms across our regions, in the factories that transform raw beans into refined products, and in the Ghanaian brands that carry our identity beyond our borders,” he said.

He welcomed the government’s policy direction aimed at ensuring that at least 50 per cent of cocoa beans produced in Ghana were processed locally.

The MD said the initiative would reinforce the foundation on which CPC was built, including value addition, job creation, and industrial growth.

Prof. Coffie also expressed support for the government’s commitment to revive CPC and position it as the leading processor of Ghana cocoa beans.

He said CPC stood ready to support the national agenda by strengthening operational capacity, enhancing product quality, deepening innovation, and maintaining high standards in cocoa processing.

He noted that cocoa was not merely a commodity but a heritage crop that formed part of Ghana’s economic and cultural identity.

Prof Coffie reaffirmed the company’s commitment to preserving and advancing Ghana’s cocoa legacy, saying that CPC would continue to honour the past, strengthen the present and contribute to building a future where Ghana leads not only in cocoa production but also in cocoa processing excellence.

Source :  GNA