Organisers of Ghana Cocoa Awards, Cocoa Post, have opened nominations for the fourth edition of the annual cocoa industry excellence reward scheme.

Ghana Cocoa Awards is an initiative instituted to appreciate and highlight outstanding achievements by personalities and organisations in the cocoa value chain.

More than thirty organisations and individuals stand to be confirmed as finalists in the competitive categories, whereas three other personalities will be accorded honorary awards.

Submission deadline

A press release signed by the Executive Director of Cocoa Post, Kojo Hayford, said submission of nominations and entries is open from now till Friday 14th October 2022 via www.ghanacocoaawards.com/nominate.

According to the statement, about 3 dozen organisations and individuals were rewarded in competitive categories while three distinguished personalities were singled out for honourary recognition during the 2021 edition.

The award categories cut across production, sustainability, internal marketing, technology and innovation, haulage and logistics, processing, manufacturing, artisanal value addition, consumption promotion, tourism and media.

Others are Company, Business Leader and Entrepreneur of the Year categories, brands of the year, cocoa financing institution and insurance, Shipping, Lifetime Achievement and Woman of Excellence award categories.

Ghana Cocoa Dinner

Award winners would be honoured at the prestigious Ghana Cocoa Dinner scheduled for Friday, November 11 2022, at Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra.

Executive Director of Cocoa Post, Kojo Hayford said, “in spite of global supply chain challenges due to Covid19 and geopolitical events, the cocoa industry has demonstrated an appreciable level of resilience owing to the efforts by industry."

"Ghana Cocoa Dinner offers the platform for leaders to take stock of the season gone by and share insights for the ensuing one while networking," he added.

The Executive Director of Cocoa Post commended the sector regulator, Ghana Cocoa Board, for its unwavering quest to maintain quality standards along the value chain, the result of which is the production of the world acclaimed premium quality Ghana cocoa.

Background

Cocoa is Ghana's leading agro commodity export, and an integral pillar of the economy of the West African nation.

More than 800,000 smallholder farming families account for Ghana's production, which averages 800K metric tonnes per annum.

Outstanding upstream actors, mainly cocoa farmers, are awarded by Ghana Cocoa Board at the district, regional and national levels during the National Farmers Day awards.

The Ghana Cocoa Dinner initiative was created to serve as a networking platform for downstream players in the local cocoa industry and also recognise excellence among players, creating visibility for excellent leadership and success stories.

The Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo emerged winner of the ultimate award, The Cocoa Personality of the Year. The Cocobod boss also shared the Cocoa Farmer Income Sustainability Honorary Award with his Ivorian counterpart, Mr Yves Brahima Kone, the Director-General of Conseil du Café-Cacao.

Other prominent recipients include former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Lifetime Achievement Awardee, Mrs Yaa Peprah Amekudzi of Cocoa Life Ghana (Mondelez International) 3-time winner of the Sustainability Personality of the year award, and Managing Director of Niche Cocoa Industry Mr Edmund Poku, winner of the Cocoa Entrepreneur of the year 2019 and 2021 Cocoa Personality of the year awards.