Celebrating National Chocolate Week: Tourism Minister gifts chocolates to Parliament

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, last Friday gifted Parliament hampers of chocolate as part of the National Chocolate Week celebration.

The hampers of assorted Golden Tree chocolate bars were presented to the Speaker and his two deputies, all members of the House, Clerks-to-Parliament and the Parliamentary Press Corps.

Besides, some staff of Parliament and schoolchildren who had visited Parliament were also offered free cocoa drinks.

The refreshing gesture was aimed at encouraging legislators and Ghanaians to embrace chocolate as a symbol of love, supporting local businesses and uphold cocoa as a national pride.

The celebration, adopted as a national event in place of Valentine’s Day, was on the theme: “Eat chocolate, stay healthy and grow Ghana,” with the sub-theme “Experience Ghana, share the cocoa love.” 

Spread the love

In a statement on the floor of the House to mark the celebration, Ms Gomashie urged members of the House to also replicate the gesture in their respective constituencies to spread the love of giving.

She explained that the National Chocolate Week was instituted to promote the consumption of locally produced chocolate and other cocoa-based products, highlight the health benefits of cocoa and deepen awareness of the contribution of cocoa to Ghana’s economy, tourism and national identity.

Chocolate, she said, was a symbol of Ghana’s agricultural excellence, industrial potential, tourism identity and national resilience.

With Ghana remaining one of the world’s leading producers of premium-quality cocoa, Ms Gomashie said the crop continued to sustain millions of livelihoods across the agricultural value-chain from hardworking farmers and transporters to processors, manufacturers, exporters and retailers.

"Mr Speaker, this also forms an important part of the Black Star Experience, our flagship national tourism, culture and creative arts programme which seeks to celebrate everything African and especially everything Ghanaian.

“Chocolate tourism, from cocoa farms to chocolate factories and tasting experiences represent an exciting frontier for domestic tourism growth, youth engagement, and private-sector participation and that is what we are pursuing,” she said.

Let’s end galamsey

Beyond consumption, Ms Gomashie said cocoa presented significant opportunities for industrialisation, job creation and entrepreneurship, particularly for the youth.

“Indeed, every piece of Ghana-made chocolate consumed is an investment in Ghana’s future. 

“Our challenge as a country now is to ensure we make chocolate affordable and accessible,” she said.

She, therefore, urged the MPs to rise to the occasion and add their collective voices to the call to end galamsey to protect farmlands and water bodies from destruction.

‘I’m beneficiary of COCOBOD scholarship’

Contributing to the statement, the Second Deputy Minority Whip, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, said he benefited  from the Cocoa Board scholarship.

From his secondary school days, he said he had a full-time scholarship and that was as a result of the “very hardworking support from cocoa farmers.

“Speaker, so from Form One to Five, I did not pay a penny and let me take this opportunity to say kudos to all cocoa farmers,” he said.

We’ll revitalise cocoa farms

The Majority Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, gave an assurance that the government would do everything to revitalise cocoa farms and boost market prices for cocoa beans to allow farmers to enjoy higher prices.

He said the Finance Minister had given directions for cocoa farmers to be paid.

“Mr Speaker, if we begin to do things like this, it will boost our local factories, more jobs will be created, the economy will blossom,” he said.