ITC - International Trade Centre
ITC - International Trade Centre
12/13/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/13/2024 04:30
Ghana’s Kuapa Kokoo farmer cooperative unveils a strategic plan for cocoa’s future
13 December 2024
ITC News
Sustainable cocoa farming is critical for Ghana, the world's second-largest cocoa producer, as it ensures the livelihoods of over 800,000 smallholder farmers while preserving the country's ecosystems.
Sustainable cocoa farming is critical for Ghana, the world's second-largest cocoa producer, as it ensures the livelihoods of over 800,000 smallholder farmers while preserving the country's ecosystems.
The cocoa sector faces challenges such as deforestation, low farmer incomes, and climate change, making sustainability vital for its future.
Farmer cooperatives and unions play a pivotal role by uniting farmers, providing training on sustainable practices, and advocating for fair trade. These organizations empower farmers to adopt environmentally sound methods while improving their economic resilience and market access, driving progress across the value chain.
Farmer cooperatives like Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union (KKFU) are at the forefront, driving progress through collective action and long-term strategies.
On 27 November 2024, KKFU marked a milestone by launching its five-year Strategic Plan (2024-2029) at its 30th Annual General Meeting in Kumasi. Over 200 delegates and farmers from 57 societies, along with more than 200 KKFU employees attended the landmark event.
This pivotal moment, supported by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and its Netherlands Trust Fund V (NTF V) project, aims to transform Ghana's cocoa landscape by empowering farmers, fostering sustainability, and boosting productivity.
A participatory strategy for farmer empowerment
KKFU's strategic plan reflects a collaborative effort that engaged stakeholders across all levels, ensuring a bottom-up approach to institutional development, aligned with ITC's participatory "Alliances for Action" agribusiness approach.
Starting in 2022, ITC's Institutions and Ecosystems team facilitated their strategy development with a focus on strengthening their institutional management and operations as Ghana's largest cocoa cooperative. James Agyekum Kwarteng, President of KKFU, championed the strategic planning process, ensuring that the voices of farmers were central to the plan's development.
'Previously, we didn't have a formal written strategy to guide our activities,' says Felicia Anane Frimpong, Head of the Gender Unit at KKFU. 'Now, with this document, we can focus more intentionally on our goals, track our activities, and measure our performance against clear benchmarks.'
To promote inclusivity, the draft strategy was translated into Asante Twi, enabling all 57 society presidents and farmer members to understand and engage with its goals. This approach highlights KKFU's commitment to transparency and collaboration.
This strategy has been a game changer. We've learned the importance of producing high-quality beans for our buyers, and it's helping farmers improve their practices on the ground. It also emphasizes critical values, like training our children in responsible ways and eliminating child labour on farms. The strategy encourages us to create safe, sustainable farming environments for everyone involved.
This strategy has been a game changer. We've learned the importance of producing high-quality beans for our buyers, and it's helping farmers improve their practices on the ground. It also emphasizes critical values, like training our children in responsible ways and eliminating child labour on farms. The strategy encourages us to create safe, sustainable farming environments for everyone involved.
Nicholas Amponsah
Sankore Society
President
President
Everything we do will align with the priorities outlined in the strategy. Each department will be reviewed based on its progress towards these objectives, ensuring accountability and progress. By the end of this five-year period, we hope to achieve the significant milestones outlined in the document, driving impactful change for the cooperative.
Everything we do will align with the priorities outlined in the strategy. Each department will be reviewed based on its progress towards these objectives, ensuring accountability and progress. By the end of this five-year period, we hope to achieve the significant milestones outlined in the document, driving impactful change for the cooperative.
Felicia Anane Frimpong
KKFU
Head of Gender Unit
Head of Gender Unit
The strategic plan serves as a roadmap, guiding us to design and implement initiatives that will enable Kuapa Kokoo to realize its vision. Through this plan, we aim to ensure that every project and intervention contributes meaningfully to the achievement of our long-term goals.
The strategic plan serves as a roadmap, guiding us to design and implement initiatives that will enable Kuapa Kokoo to realize its vision. Through this plan, we aim to ensure that every project and intervention contributes meaningfully to the achievement of our long-term goals.
Solomon Boateng
KKFU
Executive Secretary
Executive Secretary
To ensure its success, we are committed to making this five-year document accessible to all societies. This will help keep members informed about the plan's objectives and details, enabling us to work together effectively to implement the strategy both at the individual and societal levels.
To ensure its success, we are committed to making this five-year document accessible to all societies. This will help keep members informed about the plan's objectives and details, enabling us to work together effectively to implement the strategy both at the individual and societal levels.
James Agyekum Kwarteng
KKFU
President
President
Driving sustainability and diversification
The strategy emphasizes value addition, diversification, and climate-smart practices.
By integrating dynamic agroforestry techniques and sustainable farming methods, KKFU seeks to build resilience against climate change while enhancing cocoa quality and yield.
'Today, if we consider the theme for the 30th Annual Delegates Conference, two critical elements stand out: value addition and diversification. These are foundational pillars of our strategic plan, particularly in driving profitability,' says Solomon Boateng, KKFU's Executive Secretary. He coordinated consultations with the National Executive Council, extension officers, the union's business arm Kuapa Kokoo Limited, and other stakeholders to align the strategy with KKFU's ambitions.
In a bold move, KKFU delegates approved an investment of 5 million Ghana cedis to kick-start the production of semi-finished and finished cocoa products - a symbol of the union's commitment to increasing value addition in-country.
This initiative aims to capture greater value within the supply chain by boosting incomes and fostering economic resilience.
More than a roadmap: KKFU builds a better future for cocoa
As the global cocoa industry faces evolving challenges, KKFU's five-year plan serves as a roadmap for innovation and sustainable growth. Working with ITC and Sankofa partners has ensured the strategy aligns with international standards while addressing local needs.
By empowering farmers, particularly women and youth, KKFU is laying the groundwork for a more equitable and competitive cocoa sector.
'With this new strategy and backed by a strong, visionary leadership team, KKFU is well-positioned to drive sustainable growth and innovation in Ghana's cocoa sector over the next five years and beyond,' says Michael Boateng, ITC's National Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator.
KKFU's efforts highlight the importance of farmer cooperatives in shaping a sustainable future for cocoa farming, demonstrating how collective action can create lasting impact.
27 November 2024, Kumasi, Ghana - Nana Fe-Bamoah (centre) is the chief of Asokwa, the town where KKFU is headquartered Kumasi. He received the strategy document at a ceremony.
Photo by ITC
27 November 2024, Kumasi, Ghana - To promote inclusivity, the draft strategy was translated into Asante Twi, enabling all 57 society presidents and farmer members to understand and engage with its goals. This approach highlights KKFU's commitment to transparency and collaboration.
Photo by ITC
About the projects
The Netherlands Trust Fund V (NTF) (July 2021 - June 2025) is based on a partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands and the International Trade Centre. The programme supports MSMEs in the digital technologies through its EcomConnect programme and agribusiness sectors through its Alliances for Action programme. Its ambition is two-fold: to contribute to an inclusive and sustainable transformation of food systems, partially through digital solutions, and drive the internationalisation of tech start-ups and export of IT&BPO companies in selected Sub-Saharan African countries.
The Sankofa programme is a multi-stakeholder project pioneering initiative aimed at enhancing sustainable livelihoods through a multifaceted approach to income diversification, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation within the cocoa and associated crops value chains in Ghana. It is funded and supported by Coop and HALBA, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) through the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa's Landscape Programme, the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Fairtrade Finland, Fairtrade Max Havelaar Switzerland and NTF V through the International Trade Centre (ITC). It is implemented by Fairtrade Africa (FTA), Kuapa Kokoo Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Union Limited (KKFU), International Trade Centre (ITC) and Nature and Development Foundation (NDF). Technical support to the project is provided by Ecotop Suisse GmbH and the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG).