Mr Akwasi Agyeman, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), has urged actors in the hospitality industry value chain to prioritise cocoa products in serving their clients to increase national consumption.

“Everybody within the value chain is encouraged to start selling and serving chocolate and cocoa based products at their facilities,” he said Mr Agyeman said the industry must leverage the rich cocoa products, whip up interest, and create a solid market share and wealth for the country.

He said this during a cocoa health walk as part of the National Chocolate Week celebration to create awareness on consumption.

The Chief Executive Officer said most facilities only served tea and coffee, adding that “now we want them to add cocoa products on a larger scale.”

He said the facilities were selling around 20 per cent of the entire cocoa products, and GTA together with other stakeholders had created awareness to ensure they understood agenda.

“We can produce more in Ghana and as tourism people let’s sell cocoa, let’s chocolate. Let’s promote consumption to push Ghana’s per Capita consumption beyond 1kg.

Mr Fiifi Boafo, Public Affairs Manager, COCOBOD, said the cocoa consumption campaign was to ensure that citizens stayed healthy and helped grow the country as they consume more.

He said the processing of cocoa products would expand if consumption increased, leading to a reduction in the cost of operation and price.

Mr Boafo said: “Just in 2017, Ghana had per capita consumption of 0.5kg, however, the figure had doubled and national campaign and exercises like this had driven us to that point.”

He said the expectation at the end of this year’s campaign was to make everyone in the country to know of the need to consume chocolate products.

The products would be given out for free at the airport and some bus terminals whilst some would be sold at the Chocolate City, Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, Accra.

“We’ll be in some churches to give chocolate products and sensitise them about the need to consume chocolate products.”

The health walk which started from Ayi Mensah to Peduase Lodge brought together traditional leaders, officials and staff of COCOBOD, GTA and allied institutions ended with aerobics.