GTA launches National Chocolate Day 2019 to mark Val's Day

Company News from Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Source: citibusinessnews.com

2019-02-06

The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) launched the 2019 National Chocolate Day and National Tourism Awards.

The Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority, the Ghana Cocoa Council, the Cocoa Processing Society, and the Ghana Chefs Association, have redesigned Valentine's Day as Chocolate Day in 2005.

This would change the widespread perception of Valentine's Day celebration in the promotion and consumption of chocolate made in Ghana, with the main objective of boosting domestic tourism and sensitizing Ghanaians to chocolate's interest in health.

National Chocolate Day 2019 will be celebrated on February 14, 2018 under the theme; "MY CHOCOLATE EXPERIENCE" With a wide range of activities, including national tourism prices.

Tourism awards are part of the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to recognize tourism stakeholders who promote Ghana as a tourism destination.

In an address delivered on behalf of Ghana's Director General Cocoa Board, Deputy Director General Emmanuel Opoku badured that COCOBOD would continue to promote the production of local cocoa products.

"COCOBOD will continue to work with relevant stakeholders to increase awareness of the benefits of cocoa for health and nutrition, which is also the main ingredient of chocolate manufacturing with the aim of increasing local production and consumption" .

He said that the country's success in increasing the production of locally-made cocoa products deserves to be commended.

"I am pleased to report that thanks to the concerted efforts of cocoa industry stakeholders to support COCOBOD's cocoa consumption campaign, the national cocoa processing has reached three hundred thousand tonnes, or 19% of national production, against about two hundred previously. fifty-two thousand tons'

"Currently, local processing of cocoa accounts for 34% of the total volume of annual cocoa production, which indicates that we are making progress," he said.