GTA launches 2026 National Chocolate Month
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) has launched the 2026 National Chocolate Month, a flagship national initiative aimed at promoting domestic cocoa consumption, value addition, and the growth of Ghana’s chocolate industry as part of the country’s tourism and creative economy agenda.
The initiative forms part of the authority’s efforts to reposition Ghana not only as one of the world’s leading cocoa producers but also as the home of authentic chocolate experiences, while strengthening linkages between agriculture, tourism, and the creative arts sector.
The launch ceremony took place yesterday at the Nationalism Park in Accra, on the theme: ‘Eat Cocoa, Stay Healthy and Grow Ghana,’ with the sub-theme: ‘Experience Ghana, Share the Cocoa Love.’
Addressing the gathering in a speech read on her behalf by the Director for Tourism at the Ministry, Dr Geoffrey Deladem Tamakloe, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Dzifa Abla Gomashie, said the celebration went beyond expressions of affection and symbolised love for country and pride in Ghana’s cocoa heritage. She described cocoa as a symbol of the nation’s agricultural excellence, industrial potential, tourism identity, and national resilience.
The minister noted that cocoa had for decades supported livelihoods, strengthened rural economies, and contributed significantly to national development, but stressed the need for intensified value addition to ensure that more benefits from the global chocolate industry were retained locally.
In her remarks, the CEO of GTA, Mrs Marilyn Maame Efua Houadjeto, highlighted the economic importance of increasing local chocolate consumption. She said although Ghana produced about 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa and remained the second largest producer globally, the country earned only about 3.86 billion dollars from cocoa exports last year, a small share of the global chocolate industry valued at 160 billion dollars. She urged Ghanaians to support locally made chocolate, noting that greater patronage would help retain value within the national economy, create jobs, and support more than 800,000 cocoa farming families.
Mrs Houadjeto emphasised that National Chocolate Month formed part of the Black Star Experience, the government’s flagship tourism programme, and aligned with the 24-hour economy initiative by promoting economic activity, innovation, and job creation across cocoa and tourism value chains. Key activities of the celebration included Chocolate in the Park, a 24-hour activation at the Nationalism Park; a chocolate appreciation initiative at Parliament; outreach to selected schools and correctional facilities; and educational tours to cocoa processing factories, including Fair Afric at Amanase near Suhum in the Eastern Region.
The Managing Director of the Cocoa Processing Company, Professor William Coffie, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to promoting Ghanaian chocolate through its Golden Tree and Putem brands. He emphasised CPC’s support for National Chocolate Week and public cocoa education, expressing confidence that ongoing initiatives would strengthen the company’s competitiveness locally and internationally.
The Chocolate Fair, which began Wednesday at the Nationalism Park, will run through Saturday, February 14, featuring Ghanaian chocolate brands, cocoa-based products, exhibitions, and stakeholder engagements, offering opportunities for public participation, lifestyle engagement, and business interactions.
The authority expressed appreciation to the media and stakeholders for their continued support in promoting national development initiatives through accurate and impactful reportage.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
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