Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Union elects first woman President

President PCK Buah hands over to Christiana Ohene Agyare

Christiana Ohene Agyare has been elected as President of the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers' Union (KKFU) at the cooperative's AGM attended by 2,600 delegates in Kumasi, Ghana this month. Ms Ohene Agyare is the first woman President of the Kuapa Kokoo, which is the major shareholder in Divine Chocolate Ltd (UK) and DivineChocolate Inc (USA). She will be heading up an organisation which this year bought 28,000 tonnes of cocoa from its members, and turned over nearly $50 million acrossthe whole Kuapa Kokoo group.

Ms Ohene Agyare, a cocoa farmer with an 11 acre farm, served as Treasurer for the last 4 years and as Recorder in her village society. Her election is a testament to the Co-operative's long term commitment to gender equality. Since its inception in 1993 Kuapa has required women's participation at every level of the organisation, from village societies through to the National Executive.

Ms Ohene Agyare ran a dynamic election campaign, travelling round the cocoa growing regions of Ghana speaking at hustings and mobilizing the membership. Her election slogan was “Experience, transparent, hardworking, caring and trustworthy.”

Sophi Tranchell, Managing Director of Divine Chocolate Ltd, who attended the AGM, said: “Ayekoo! We congratulate Christiana on her election as the first woman President of Kuapa Kokoo Farmers' Union and very much look forward to working closely with her in growing Divine, Kuapa's chocolate company. We would also like to thank Mr Buah and the outgoing members of the NEC who have worked diligently for last 4 years, listening to the membership, introducing a new constitution and leading Kuapa through a challenging period., and for Mr Buah's welcome influence on Divine business”

Tranchell continues: “Christiana is a great example of increasing numbers of women now taking responsible and senior roles within this thriving cooperative. She has visited the UK as the guest of The Co-operative retailgroup who converted all their own label chocolate to Fairtrade in 2002 supplied by Divine using Kuapa's cocoa. She is one of several Kuapa Kokoo womenrepresentatives who have travelled outside Ghana – to both UK and USA. As ambassadors of Kuapa Kokoo and of Divine they have inspired and engaged chocolate lovers, activists, leading business people and top politicians, describing the lives of cocoa farmers and the changes they have seen in their communities. In turn they have learned much more about the chocolate market and the industry they are a part of. Empowering both farmers and consumers, as well as delivering profit to Kuapa is what sets Divine apart from its chocolate brand competitors.

The voting and counting took place publically at the AGM watched by 2500 farmers, the candidates having previously taken their hustings to all the member societies across all the cocoa growing regions of Ghana. Christina is one of five women amongst the eleven elected members of Kuapa's National Executive. She succeeds Mr. P. C. K. Buah as President and her tenure runs from 2010 to 2014.

For more information and a selection of images from the AGM please contact CharlotteBorger on [email protected] 378 6550.

Editor's notes:

* Kuapa Kokoo is a smallholder cocoa farmers' cooperative with 45000 members in Ghana. Visit www.kuapakokoo.com for more information.

* Kuapa Kokoo is the major shareholder (45%) in Divine Chocolate Ltd (UK) and (33%) in Divine Chocolate Inc (USA). Kuapa Kokoo has two representatives on Divine's Boards which meet four times a year, once in Ghana.

* Christiana Ohene Agyare (51) comes from the Kwabeng Society in the Atiwa District, Eastern Region. Kwabeng falls under the Nkawkaw district of Kuapa Kokoo, recently visited by Simon Hughes MP. Ms Ohene Agyare's has her own 11 acre cocoa farm.

She joined Kuapa Kokoo in 1996 and was elected the treasurer of her local society later that year. In 1998 she was elected as the Recorder to the society, with the responsibility of accurately weighing farmers' cocoa, checking for quality and paying the farmers directly. In 2006, she was elected as the District Treasurer of the Nkawkaw District Office of Kuapa Kokoo and subsequently elected as the National Treasurer of the NEC in that same year during the Annual General Meeting. During this year's round of Kuapa Kokoo elections, she was elected the society Recorder by her society, the district president of the Nkawkaw district and the NationalPresident.

* For other examples of women and their experience of belonging to Kuapa Kokoo see the films at http://www.divinechocolate.com/about/films.aspx

* The decision to launch the first Fairtrade chocolate company in the UK was made at the Kuapa Kokoo AGM in 1997. With the help of NGO Twin Trading, and Body Shop International, plus the support of Comic Relief and Christian Aid, and DFID, Divine Chocolate Ltd (formerly The Day Chocolate Company) was launched in UK in 1998.

* In 2006 Body Shop international transferred its entire interest in Divine Chocolate to Kuapa Kokoo, making the co-operative the single largest shareholder with 45%. Today the balance is held by NGO Twin Trading (43%), and by Dutch international development finance institution Oikocredit (12%).

* Divine is a dedicated Fairtrade company. This means that all Divine products carry the Fairtrade Mark. This is an independent guarantee certified by the Fairtrade Foundation that the ingredients are sourced under internationally agreed fair trade terms and conditions. These include a guaranteed, secure minimum price, an extra social premium payment for the farmers to invest in their own community programmes, long term trading contracts, decent health and safety conditions – all aimed at empowering farmers to make their own improvements to living standards and prospects for the future.

* For further information please visit www.divinechocolate.com