Cadbury Cocoa Partnership has intensified its effort at boosting cocoa production in Ghana, in order to sustain its business. In effect, it has expanded its grassroots initiative to bring more communities onboard, towards realizing its dream.

On Monday in Accra, Cadbury Cocoa Partnership, in line with its above stated objectives, unveiled an initiative dubbed -'Cocoa Ambassador Program', which is made up of ten young talented students drawn from various tertiary institutions across the country, to spearhead its campaign drive. The aim is to build youth interest in the cocoa growing communities in the country.

Lack of Youth engagement in cocoa farming is one of the biggest challenges confronting the country. As a result, productivity in the cocoa growing communities is low, hence the launch of the 'Cocoa Ambassador Program' to increase engagement and revive the interest in cocoa production, amongst the youth population in the country.

The Ambassadors, according to Yaa Peprah Amekudzi, Director, Program Coordinating Unit, Cadbury Cocoa Partnership, will enrol on a two-year program which will be implemented through tertiary-education level students to reach young people in all levels of education, as well as out-of-school children. "This is a voluntary commitment. In doing so, we will be encouraging the spirit of volunteerism in Ghana.

The cost of transportation, accommodation in the field, feeding and implementing activities will be covered by the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership. At the end of their stewardship, they will form the 'Cocoa Ambassadors Club', where they will be mentored by a Cadbury Ghana employee or COCOBOD", noted Madam Amekudzi.

The Ambassadors will operate in 100 communities in seven cocoa growing districts of Ghana, and are expected to mentor young farmers who can play a key part in community empowerment and development.

Officials of the Partnership said since the launch of the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership in 2008, productivity in the Ghanaian cocoa sector stands at 40% output per hectare of its estimated potential, and long term sustainability cannot be overemphasized without fully integrating the youth population.

Already, there are about seventy Cadbury volunteers who are working alongside with village folks in Adjeikrom, as part of the Earthshare research program.

In addition to this drive, about 10 cocoa farmer organisations in the country are on course to join other groups in becoming Fairtrade certified by the end of the year, in order to benefit from selling their cocoa on fair-trade terms to Cadbury.

"Certification through Fairtrade is part of our strategy to offer cocoa growing communities with greater opportunities, by giving a fair price to farmers and a premium for social development to empower farmers through Fairtrade investment in their own farms and communities", said Ms. Harriet Lamb, Executive Director, Fairtrade Foundation.

About £45million is expected to be invested in the program over a ten-year period in key cocoa growing communities in Ghana, India, the Caribbean and South East Asia.