CHED, SPD RECEIVE SUPPORT FROM THE COCOA SECTOR INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT PROJECT

Date: 17th April 2023

Two key divisions of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) and the Seed Production Division (SPD) have received a boost in the form of computers and peripherals devices under the Cocoa Sector Institutional Support Project (COSISP).

COSISP is an initiative of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning which aims to improve performance in the regulation and administration of Ghana's cocoa sector through capacity building and sound project management.

The initiative which began in April 2021, involves several stakeholders and is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB). It has achieved a 20% implementation rate since effective implementation.

The Deputy Chief Executive of COCOBOD in charge of Finance and Administration, Mr. Emmanuel Ray Ankrah, who made the presentation on behalf of management said it is in the interest of management to provide the necessary resources needed to improve performance which is expected to translate to increased crop yields for the sector.

Mr. Ray Ankrah said that CHED and SPD are the engines that drive the forefront of the cocoa sector and are vital components to its performance. He added that if extension services are not right, post-crop will be negatively impacted. He charged the divisions to ensure the effective utilisation of these resources to translate into increased crop yields.

“Let us see the impact through increase in yield through your work which has been facilitated through this support programme” he stressed.

The beneficiary divisions were presented with 98 desktop computers, 12 laptops, 110 multifunctional printers, 468 tablets, 3 servers, 110 UPSs, 2 rack-mount UPSs, ArcGIS Enterprise software for mapping with 100 users and Microsoft power Bi for data analytics (licensed for 45 users).  The devices will be distributed to the district offices and cocoa stations of CHED and SPD to support the Cocoa Management System and other operations.

The Executive Director for CHED, Rev. Edwin Afari, acknowledged management for showing commitment in ensuring the provision of resources to facilitate work processes for officers in the divisions and said that the provision of the devices was timely as they will go a long way to fill the data collection and communication challenges of the division.