Cadbury CEO calls on President Mills

The President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, has assured Cadbury International that government will do all it can to strengthen its partnership with the company and will not hesitate to forged new links if where necessary.

President Mills was interacting with the visiting Chief Executive Officer of Cadbury International, Mr. Todd Stitzer, when he paid a courtesy call on him at the Castle, Osu yesterday to announce the celebration of 100 years partnership with Ghana.

With him with him were the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Nicholas Westcott, Managing Director of Cadbury Ghana limited Mr. James Boateng and other officials of Cadbury International. 

He said Ghanaians appreciate the path Cadbury has blazed in the country over the years, and their investments in education, which is in the form of infrastructure, scholarships and the creation of jobs for the people of Ghana.

The President said it is his government's desire to create an investment atmosphere that would promote growth and ensure that people get good returns on their investments. He promised to maintain a climate that will ensure companies like Cadbury made profit, provide jobs, and derive satisfaction from their investment in the country.

Prof. Mills reiterated his promise to maintain a peaceful atmosphere in the country, saying 'there can be no development without peace, and the cardinal aim of this government is to continue in to develop the country in an atmosphere of peace'.  

Mr. Todd Stitzer commended the government and people of Ghana for the recent peaceful election and disclosed that this month marks 100 years of partnership with Cadbury, a period where commercially viable shipment of Ghana cocoa was made to the United Kingdom to be made into our chocolate.

Our chocolate is blessed with quality and consistency of the taste we get from Ghana cocoa beans. Almost two-thirds of the cocoa beans we use around the world are from Ghana. We are proud and pleased to be partner of this great nation.

Mr. Todd Stitzer disclosed that their mission was to activate that 100 years of partnership, and renew it in the next 10 years.  He said the company announced a year ago, investment of around £30 million in sustainable cocoa farming in Ghana next 10 years. 'Since that time with the partners in UNDP, CARE, VSO, World Vision, we have activated that community partnership here in over 100 communities', he said.

We are celebrating the activation of that partnership investment. We will multiply the number of communities we will engage in and hope that the communities will freely find their own way to sustainable cocoa farming, Mr. Stitzer said. 

The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Nicholas Wescott said Cadbury's links with Ghana from that time to date symbolizes the depth of partnerships between Britain and Ghana.