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26.05.2021 Agriculture

EcoCare Ghana launches Cocoa Governance and Advocacy Project in Accra

EcoCare Ghana launches Cocoa Governance and Advocacy Project in Accra
26.05.2021 LISTEN

EcoCare Ghana on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 launched the Cocoa Governance and Advocacy Project to help reform the cocoa sector.

The project in-part looks at getting local civil society in Ghana properly mobilized and strategically positioned to use the ongoing discussions around the UK and EU due diligence regulation for forest-risk commodities proposals that are under consideration to advocate for governance reform in the cocoa sector in Ghana.

The project also looks at using learnings from FLEGT-VPA processes in Ghana as blueprint for civil society action towards governance reform in the cocoa sector.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the launch, Obed Owusu-Addai who is Managing Campaigner for EcoCare Ghana noted that the fundamental focus of the project is to realize the governance reform in the cocoa sector.

“Basically what we want to do within the cocoa sector is that we want to get stakeholders to the table to discuss cocoa issues, who get to sit at the table, and how decisions are made around cocoa in Ghana,” he shared.

Mr. Owusu-Addai added, “The other thing that we also want to do is to ensure that civil society and farmer-based Organisations understand the problems within the cocoa sector and we are using constructive advocacy to get responses and review of those problems.”

Mr. Obed Owusu-AddaiMr. Obed Owusu-Addai

According to Mr. Obed Owusu-Addai, the project will use constructive advocacy to address issues of deforestation and child labour in the cocoa sector.

Giving a short remark at the launch of the project, country director for Gower Street Foundation, Joy Essandoh indicated that her outfit knows the importance of cocoa to Ghana’s economy and are convinced the sector is the right place to invest their resources

Hence the decision by Gower Street Foundation, to take part in the project.

Representing the implementing partners, Mrs. Martha Mensah who stepped in to replace the national coordination of the Ghana Civil Society Cocoa Platform stressed that the GCCP is delighted to be part of the project.

She said while the GCCP looks forward to working with all stakeholders, it wants all partners involved to work towards the success of the Cocoa Governance and Advocacy Project to particularly improve the conditions all cocoa farmers at the end of the project.

The project that will be implemented by EcoCare Ghana in collaboration with the Ghana Civil Society Cocoa Platform (GCCP) is being financed by the UKAID through FERN with support from Gower Street Foundation.

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More about the Cocoa Governance and Advocacy Project:

The Cocoa Advocacy Project seeks to leverage existing opportunities, improve awareness creation, mobilize CSOs and strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to reform the sector through a multi-stakeholder approach.

The overall objective of the project is to realize a reformed cocoa sector where decisions are being made through an effective multi-stakeholder approach.

The specific objective is to improve Cocoa governance in Ghana through targeted advocacy and stakeholder mobilization and to facilitate and consolidate civil society actions in cocoa sector reform in Ghana by leveraging ongoing due diligence reforms in the EU and UK.

The project is designed to take between 24-36 months to realize expected outcomes and achieve the objectives. It will have annual targets and plan of work with its own expected deliverables. The strategy and approach shall be viewed every 12 months taking into consideration milestones achieved and the changing dynamics of the cocoa advocacy sector.

Eric Nana Yaw Kwafo
Eric Nana Yaw Kwafo

JournalistPage: EricNanaYawKwafo

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