The finalists are University of Education, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and the University of Cape Coast.
They beat off competition from Christ University College, University of Professional Studies Accra and Ashesi University respectively in the first-round competition at the British Council in Accra.
UPSA was, however, considered to participate in the finals as the fifth team because it was able to accumulate the required pass marks, although it lost to GIMPA.
They debated on and against the topic ‘The application of cocoa scholarships and infrastructure has not helped enough to groom the next generation of cocoa farmers in Ghana and what are their commendation going forward with the introduction of Free Senior High School policy’.
The second topic was ‘Is ICT the answer to achieving to maximum growth in the cocoa sector in the wake of Ghana beyond Aid’.
The competitors made compelling points to buttress their arguments to the admiration of the judges, fellow mates and lecturers who were present to render support to their schools.
The Managing Director of Kuapa Kokoo Limited, Samuel Adimako, commented that he hoped the debate will help the company to know the way forward with its cocoa scholarship scheme.
He noted that the cocoa farmers want to know what will happen to the cocoa scholarship scheme in the year 2020.
According to him, they want to know if it is “going to be continued, and if yes, at which level of the educational ladder will it be applicable? They also want to know what technological tools will best work to their advantage in the era of ICT”.
He said the agriculture sector has been bedevilled with an old-assertion that it is the preserve of the less educated and less privileges in society; however, this thinking has been roundly challenged over the years, and the debate was to challenge the assertion or affirm the need why it should not be downplayed.
Adimako stated that another major threat has been climate change, as it is quickly depleting most cocoa farmlands, and “we believe that once we put our heads together with intellectuals and scholars in the agric sector, this challenge will be succumbed, and hope and relief restored to farmers”.
According to him, he was delighted that there is nothing like galamsey when it comes to agriculture despite the few instances where some few people, who for want of cash and lack of vision, would lure some farmers to cut down their cocoa trees for galamsey.
To that end, he commended the government to clamp down on illegal mining, which had been a major threat to farming communities, particularly cocoa farmers.
05 Jun
Take Up The Idea Of Land Banks – Kufour
Former President John Agyekum Kufour has lent his support to the concept of land banks in Ghana.
The former President who chaired the maiden Green Ghana Lecture Series organized by kuapa kokoo and Millennium Promise Alliance (MPA) believes the creation of land banks will help in better utilization of lands in the country.
The idea was raised by Flt. Lt. Joseph Bampo Atiemo during the panel discussions and was endorsed by H.E John Agyekum Kufour, the former President who suggested to the current President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo to take it up for implementation. He intimated that this presents a good opportunity for addressing land litigation issues and value for arable farm lands.
H.E. John Agyekum Kufour also suggested that the nation moves away from her overreliance on cocoa and diversify into coffee or other cash crop production.
He recounted the state of Ghana’s cocoa sector when he took over as president of Ghana and recalled some of his achievements as far as cocoa is concerned.
The programme which was held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra last Wednesday saw several dignitaries both local and international contributing in various ways towards bettering the lot of cocoa farmers in Ghana.
Praised Kuapa Kokoo President
Mr. Kufour praised the President of the Kuapa Kokoo Co-operative Farmers & Marketing Union Ltd; Madam Fatima Ali for her hardwork and impact on Ghana’s cocoa sector. “I think Madam Fatima Ali is the Yaa Asantewaa of the cocoa sector”, he said.
Awards
H.E. J. A. Kufour, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, Hon. Mrs. Frema Osei-Opare, Flt. Lt. Joseph Atiemo, Nana Frimpong Abebrese II, Dr. Kofi Koduah Sarpong, Ms. Pauline Tiffen and Madam Fatima Ali all picked awards at the event for their great contributions to the development of Ghana’s cocoa sector.
04 Jun
KNUST Beats UCC To Be Crowned Winner Of Kuapa Kooko Inter-Tertiary Debate
With so much anticipation as to which schools to meet in the final round, that anticipation was satisfied as Knust beat GIMPA to qualify for the final rounds as well as UCC beat UEW-K to qualify to the final stage .
Th competition became tight as these two schools are rivalry and have the notion of being the best school in this country.
The debators took the podium to argue their points out to the topic “ successive governments have been discriminatory to cocoa farmers by not providing pension scheme for them “ . Knust argued that successive governments have indeed discriminated against cocoa farmers by not providing them with pension schemes although they contribute greatly to Ghana’s economy stating emphatically that other civilians have pension schemes except cocoa farmers BUT UCC were of the opinion that if successive governments have been discriminatory against cocoa farmers then they wouldn’t have the enabling environment to even operate and establish cooperative unions.
The panel of judges and all participants of the gracious event were mesmerized with the way and manner these students exhumed in depth knowledge and insight to the topic. Indeed Ghanaian students are endowed with wisdom and knowledge.
The much awaited moment finally came as Knust beat UCC to be crowned winner of Kuapa Kooko Inter-Tertiary Debate held at Kempinski hotel, 30th May 2018.
All schools who participated in this debate have made a great mark in the hearts and minds of al participants who came to witness the occasion .
TimewithPrissy
CampusToday Publications
04 Jun
Which school takes the trophy 🏆 : FINALS OF KUAPA KOOKO INTER-TERTIARY DEBATE
In celebrating its 25th Anniversary, Kuapa Kooko in alliance with Millennium Promise took a great initiative to involve students from tertiary institutions in a debate forum on the necessary issues bothering the slow growth of cocoa production. Various topics were given to students to debate on.
This auspicious day has finally arrived as today marks the finals of the debate and the climax of Kuapa Kooko 25th Anniversary. The question is “which school takes the trophy ? The competition is very tough now as University of Education, Winneba and University of Cape Coast has taken the platform to debate on the topic “ The construction of cocoa roads over the years has not improved cocoa production in Ghana “
With University of Education against the motion that cocoa road construction has rather improved cocoa production in Ghana due to its accessibility which creates ready market for consumers both external and internal thereby increasing production and creating much revenue to invest more whereas University of Cape Coast are for the motion that cocoa construction has not improved cocoa production in Ghana due to wrong investment in roads when cocoa farmers need such funds to increase seed purchase and other equipments needed for production. Roads are secondary matter in their perspective.
Next on the platform are Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Education and GIMPA as they argue their points out on the essential topic “ Cocoa growing areas have not received their fair share of the national cake even though they have been the backbone of Ghana’s economy since the 20th century”
Interestingly , with KNUST for the motion, they insist cocoa growing areas haven’t received their fair share of the national cake as government is selfish and only focus on increase in production and without a heart, think about the welfare of the farmers. But GIMPA are of the opinion for government to bring policies and actions to increase production of cocoa means they are rather thinking of the farmers since if the cocoa production should fail , then these farmers would lose their end meet therefore to invest in production indirectly also put food on their tables as increase in production brings about increase in revenue,capital and expansion , increasing farmers profit and making life a walk in a park for them .
This great initiative is indeed very educative and interesting as wisdom is drawn from all the ideas presented by various students to help the cocoa industry.
Which school takes the trophy? More updates to come .
TimewithPrissy
CampusToday Publication
04 Jun
Kufuor, Rawlings, Mahama and Akufo-Addo to be honoured
Experts from various sectors of the economy are billed to assemble in Accra at the Kempinski Hotel on May 30, 2018, to discuss Ghana’s cocoa sector.
The event dubbed: ‘The Green Ghana Lecture Series’, the first of its kind and put together by a cooperative of local cocoa farmers will also have in attendance the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Colombia University, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, as well as former President of Ghana, His Excellency, John Agyekum Kufuor.
Also attending the event is the Chief of Staff, Office of the President, Hon. Frema Osei-Opare.
The discussion focuses on the Future of the Cocoa Industry in Ghana and the role of the youth in a Ghana Beyond Aid as well as the prospects of leveraging on ICT to attract and empower the youth in Agriculture for economic liberation.
The panel include Nana Adusei Atwenewa I, Tepamanhene, Mr. Gershon Sena Kpikpitse, a Cocoa Farmer, Madam Fatima Ali, President, KKFU, Flt. Lft. (Rtd) Joseph Bampo Atiemo, Dr. Kweku Ofosu-Asare, Lecturer/Researcher, GIMPA, Mr. Anthony Fofie, former CEO, COCOBOD, Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo, Minister of State in Charge of Public Procurement, Mr. Ameir Mbode, International Trade Consultant, and Mr. John Kumah, CEO, National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP).
The event will also recognize and award outstanding personalities whose leadership and governance in the cocoa sector has ensured growth of the commodity. Among the personalities to be awarded are: H. E. Jerry John Rawlings, H. E. John Agyekum Kufuor, H. E. John Dramani Mahama, H. E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Hon. Frema Osei-Opare, Dr. Kofi Kodua Sarpong, Pauline Tiffen, Flt. Lft. (Rtd) Joseph Bampo Atiemo and Nana Abebrese II.
Prior to the lecture, there was the final debate contest between four tertiary institutions – University of Cape Coast, University of Education, Winneba (Kumasi Campus), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.
The Country Director for Millennium Promise Alliance, Chief Nathaniel Ebo Nsarko, said “This is a very historic event and we are delighted to assemble some of the best brains in the cocoa sector to discuss how best the Ghana could derive maximum benefit from cocoa. This laudable initiative has come to stay”.
The President of Kuapa Kokoo, Madam Fatima Ali, also commenting on the event said “We are hopeful that this lecture series will be the stepping stone to revolutionizing Ghana’s cocoa sector. We believe that after this event, this will never be the same”.
02 May
4 Varsities advance to finals of Kuapa Kokoo debates competition
By John Elliot HAGAN, Accra
Four universities have advanced to the final stage of the Kuapa Kokoo lecture series inter-tertiary debates competition, held in Accra.
02 May
KNUST beats University of Ghana to qualify for the finals of Kuapa Kokoo Inter-Tertiary Debate.
Another day of exceptional display of educational excellence from our various tertiary institutions at the British Council auditorium on the 30th of April, 2018.
Being in the room of great youthful educators mesmerizes me as they exhibit strong sense of intelligence. Kuapa Kokoo Inter-Tertiary debate second phase has taken a new turn as rivalry schools University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology address the topic “Is ICT the answer to achieving maximum growth in the cocoa sector in the wake of Ghana Beyond Aid?
With KNUST gallantly for the motion that ICT is the answer to achieving maximum growth since it will create access to information, quick payment of farmers and also shifting from indigenous era to modernization, University of Ghana rather refute their points by clearly emphasizing what’s the use of ICT when there are limited lands for production, poor pricing cocoa produce and lack of technological equipments as well as high illiteracy in the country. These educative arguments created an atmosphere of praise on both teams by their supportive members.
Right after their session, University of Cape Coast and Ashesi University took the platform to argue their points on the same topic. UCC were of the view that ICT is the answer to maximizing growth in the cocoa sector by tackling all problems of corruption, bringing industrialization and creating easy access to information on pest and diseases. Whereas Ashesi University insisted that ICT can’t be the ultimate answer in maximizing growth of cocoa sector due to reasons of successful cocoa farmers who had not attended school or gotten access to ICT, excelled greatly in it, were able to identify when a cocoa seed had been infested or the pods had failed due to the harmattan.
Great debate organised by kuapa kokoo and Millennium Promise Alliance. It’s a great initiative since it seeks to educate the masses on cocoa farming and also raise an awareness of various detrimental issues affecting cocoa farmers, production and how government can help ease the burden of these farmers and mode of production.
Generating results for various schools
GIMPA: 65.11%
UPSA : 64.94%
CSUC: 59%
UEW_K : 64%
KNUST : 81%
UG: 72.8%
UCC: 81.6%
ASHESI– 72.37%
Drawing the curtains of this great, inspiring educative program, the winners to contest for the finals slated on 30th May 2018 are;
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
University of Cape Coast
GIMPA
University of Education, Winneba, Kumasi
Priscilla Asamoah Baffour
CampusToday Publications
30 Apr
8 top varsities battle for honours in Kuapa Kokoo debate
Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
Date: 30-04-2018 Time: 11:04:13:am
The British Council Auditorium would today, Monday, April 30, 2018, witness one of the keenly contested for competitions in the country as eight (8) top universities battle for honours in the Kuapa Kokoo/MPA ‘The Green Ghana Lecture Series inter-tertiary institutions debate’.
The event which would be the first round of elimination will see the University of Ghana, Legon, take on the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology while the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) battles the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
The Accra Technical University will come face-to-face with Christian Service University while Ashesi University will clash with the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
The competing schools would debate on the topics:
I. The application of Cocoa Scholarships and Infrastructure has not helped enough to groom the next generation of cocoa farmers in Ghana. What are your recommendations going forward with the introduction of the Free Senior High School Policy?
II. Is ICT the answer to achieving maximum growth in the cocoa sector in the wake of Ghana Beyond Aid?
The winners would advance to the final stage of the competition which would be held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra on May 30, 2018.
The competition has the following prizes at stake; Laptops, tablets, smartphones, Asankwa Wireless, Kuapa E-Library subscription, souvenirs from sponsors and internship opportunities.
The country Director of the Millennium Promise Alliance (MPA), Chief Nat Ebo Nsarko, commenting on the initiative said: “The Green Ghana Lecture Series which forms part of the 25th Anniversary Celebrations of Kuapa Kokoo Co-operative Farmers Union will impact positively on policy formulation as to what the country intends to do with its Cocoa Scholarship, especially, with the introduction of the Free Senior High School Policy, which by the year 2020, will make the cocoa scholarship no more applicable at the Senior High School level”.
The Managing Director of Kuapa Kokoo Limited, Samuel Adimado, also commenting on the initiative said “I hope the debate will help us to know the way forward with our Cocoa Scholarship scheme.
“The cocoa farmers want to know what will happen to the cocoa scholarship scheme in the year 2020. Is it going to be continued and if yes, at which level of the educational ladder will it be applicable? They also want to know what technological tools will best work to their advantage in this era of ICT”.
30 Apr
KUAPA KOKOO INITIATES HUGE DEBATE COMPETITION
Home → News → Agriculture & Environment → Kuapa Kokoo initiates huge debate competition
Kuapa Kokoo initiates huge debate competition
By Bernard Buachi/rawgist.com
April 30, 2018 at 7:23 am
Ghana News–Kuapa Kokoo; one of the biggest players in Ghana’s cocoa sector has initiated a huge debate competition among tertiary institutions in the country.
The Kuapa Kokoo Inter-Tertiary Institutions Debate which will be opened at the British Council in Accra on the 30th April, 2018 will be keenly contested by the University of Ghana, The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ashesi University, University of Cape Coast, Christian Service University College, Accra Technical University, GIMPA and UPSA.
Finals of the debate will be held on the 30th May, 2018 during the Green Ghana Lecture Series at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra.
Chief Nat Nsarko; Country Director for Millennium Promise Alliance tells rawgist.com’s Bernard Buachi the debate competition is “one of its kind and is being institutionalised to engender a broader discussion and forge a sustainable path in doing things in the era of Ghana Beyond Aid.”.
He adds that the competition seeks to create a platform for stakeholders from the Cocoa Fraternity, Government and Non-Government Players, Academia, Students, Media, etc to deliberate and build consensus on innovative ways that will empower the next generation cocoa farmers on sustainable farming mechanisms to enable them to contribute their quota to the President’s vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid.
Managing Director for Kuapa Kokoo; Mr. Samuel Adimado believes the time is due for us to open a national debate on how not to disrespect farmers and how not to denigrate farming, but rather how to motivate our farmers and how to improve agriculture in Ghana.
“We propose to empower and and attract the young ones as we create the Ghana beyond aid. That agenda can best be derived from engagements like these, where we debate openly on issues concerning the farmers and the youth- the second generation farmers.”
Mr. Adimado says the debates would help answer salient questions such as; “How can these disparities be addressed? How do we make agriculture attractive for the youth? How can ICTs be leveraged to boost farming activities, particularly cocoa industry? And how can we as cocoa farmers be involved in the cocoa scholarship deployments and awards to beneficiaries?”
“We at Kuapa Kokoo believe in grooming the next generation to apply modern technologies to agriculture as they gradually take over from us. It is for this reason among many others that we have partnered with Millennium Promise Alliance, to initiate and champion the move to bridging the information gap between agricultural research and farming practices in Ghana. This can indeed boost agricultural productivity”, he explained in an interview with rawgist.com.
Winners of the Debate will win laptop computers, Medals of participation, 1 year internship with MPA and KKFU, Asanka Connectivity, Hamper from sponsors, Trophy for their school plus three thousand Ghana Cedis. There are also exciting prizes for the first, second and third runners up.
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24 Apr
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs supports Kuapa to initiate the maiden state of the art Teleagric Centre to support over 900,000 indigenous farmers in Ghana
Executive Summary
Cocoa farming remains a very lucrative venture that is supporting households in alleviating majority of people from poverty. Cocoa offers livelihood for over 700,000 farmers in Ghana with farms occupying 1.2m hectares of the total land area of the country. In Ghana, cocoa farmers are mostly located in remote villages with the challenges of low income and limited social and community infrastructure such as healthcare, education, electricity and roads.
Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union (KKFU), a cooperative union with membership of 100,000 and covering a total population of over 500,000 across 6 out of the 7 cocoa regions in Ghana. KKFU has over the years been providing technical support and implementing social development projects in health, gender empowerment, agri-business and climate change mitigation and adaptation to improve upon the livelihoods of its members.
KKFU has partnered Millennium Promise Alliance to usher in a long-term collaboration to undertake the Kuapa Kokoo Sustainable Development Programme (KKSDP). Under this programme, the two organisations will design practical models that leverage on the SDGs to improve health and promote innovative agricultural concepts to achieve food security and end poverty. One of the main interventions under the KKSDP is the introduction of the TeleAgric Consultation Project (TACP). The TACP involves the setting up of a TeleAgric Consultation Center as an information hub where farmers can call in from their respective farm locations or communities for timely information, advice and agricultural support.
The main objective of the Tele Agric project of the KKSDP is to introduce technology-driven climate-smart agricultural system through the establishment of TeleAgric Consultation to bridge the gap between cocoa farmers and agricultural inputs and technical extension services by providing timely information and advisory support to address the needs of farmers and improve cocoa productivity.
The Country Director of MPA, Chief Nat Ebo Nsarko, on his part, said talks are currently underway to extend the Tele-Agric centre to cover the entire country.
The Tele-Agric center, according to Mr. Nsarko, was set up at an estimated cost of US$460,000 and will serve as an information path for timely and reliable information to farmers.
The facility, he added, has an electronic agric library attached to it and can serve over 900,000 farmers across Ghana.
Mr. Nsarko further told the gathering that the Tele-Agric center be run in different local languages and will recruit, train and deploy experienced agric extension officers, agric researchers and professors to provide information to bridge the disconnection between academia and farmers to enhance agric practice for improved production.
20 Apr
FARMERS HAIL KUAPA KOKOO NEW MANAGERS
Several thousands of cocoa farmers in cocoa-growing regions in Ghana have commended the new management and Board of Directors of Kuapa Kooko Limited (KKL) and Kuapa Union for their efforts in protecting the farmers’ hard-earned income.
“We have never seen such seriousness in our leaders in the Kuapa fraternity, and such moves are reassuring and give us hope for a brighter future,” the farmers declared.
It would be recalled that the District Manager of KKL at Akontombra in the Western Region, Eric Fiifi Cudjoe, was arrested by the Ashanti Regional police for allegedly embezzling GH¢4,850,700 belonging to the company.
Cudjoe was remanded into police custody by the Ejisu-Juaben circuit court, presided over by Abdul Yusuf Assibey, on April 6, 2018.
The Akontombra District Manager was subsequently arraigned before court for fraudulent breach of trust following a complaint lodged by the new Managing Director of KKL, Samuel Adimado, for failing to purchase 10,212 bags of cocoa beans with the said amount of money.
The money, according to the Managing Director, was transferred through the ARB APEX Bank in Kumasi into the account of Cudjoe at the Amenfi Rural Bank Limited between September 2017 and February 2018.
Although the accused is a relative of the President of Kuapa Kooko Cooperative Farmers and Marketing Union Limited (KKFU) – the parent company of KKL – he was not spared at all.
According to reports, the president equally expressed shock at the action of his relative and called for thorough investigation and prosecution.
Cudjoe allegedly presented false reports to the company on numerous occasions in relation to the purchase of cocoa beans.
But the cocoa farmers, who are overwhelmed by the situation due to the relationship between Cudjoe and the President of KKFU, said that the bold action taken by their leaders had renewed their confidence in their leaders.
“We were overly excited at her insistence that the said amount be retrieved at all cost. We are so amazed and pleasantly surprised about the courageous manner in which our lady leader and the management have taken to deal with the issue in a dispassionate manner, devoid of fear and intimidation. This is worthy of commendation. Initially we had doubts because in Ghana when a relative of someone in high ranking position does something wrong, they treat that person with kid gloves but management has blazed a new trail to prove us wrong. Their action is so reassuring that in them we see a better future for Kuapa Kooko. We are now confident that our little contributions, accrued over the years, will not go waste,” Agya Kwasi, a cocoa farmer in the Sefwi Akontombra area, said.
“Now we, the farmers, are very confident and our trust has been boosted by the action of management. We want to thank them all for not allowing one person to embezzle that huge amount of money at our expense. This goes to prove that nobody can take us for a ride,” said Adwoa Adoma, another cocoa farmer at Ankaase in the Ashanti Region.
Source: http://dailyguideafrica.com/farmers-hail-kuapa-kooko-new-managers/