Dr Emmanuel Opoku, Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), has called on Ghanaians to consume cocoa products, especially chocolates as staple foods.

He said these products offered a lot of nutritional benefits and strengthened the body’s immune system.

He said chocolate did not only boost the immune system, but also improved the cognitive abilities, saying, "we need to increase its consumption and not restrict its intake only to National Chocolate Day."

Dr Opoku made these remarks when the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) together with COCOBOD and the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) donated cocoa products to the Ga East Municipal Hospital.

They also presented hand sanitizers, liquid soaps, face masks, among others, to commemorate the National Chocolate Day.

He said the Day was designated by COCOBOD and its partners to sensitise the public on the nutritional and economic benefits of Cocoa products, especially chocolates.

Mr Akwasi Agyeman, CEO of GTA, said the growth of Cocoa consumption was dependent on the hospitality industry, saying, the industry had a huge role to play in making Cocoa products part of its menu for clients.

He said if the hospitality industry adopted chocolates as a menu item, its consumption among the public would go up as more Ghanaians would patronise them.

Mr Agyeman said they decided to donate the items to the hospital to show them love and commended the frontline health workers for their dedicated service in the Covid-19 period.

“The symbol for this Day is love, hence we are donating these items to the management and staff of this hospital, especially the frontline health workers in this pandemic for their invaluable service in this Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

Dr Roxana P. Segborwotso, Head of Clinical Services, Ga East Hospital, commended the organisations for their donation and said they would put them to good use to complement what they had at the hospital.

She advised the public to be weary of the pandemic and observe all safety protocols, including the wearing of face masks and the washing of hands with soap under running water.

Dr Segborwotso said "our individual responsibilities as a people in the fight against the pandemic will go along way to curb the virus infection."