Africa Cocoa Fund, through Rainforest Alliance, has been able to support about 62 Certification farming groups and funded forty-seven (47) projects in West Africa, since 2020.
Some of the beneficiary farmers groups include; KuapaKokoo, Cocoa Abrabopa, PBC, Asonafo Cooperative Cocoa Union and WAFCOS.
Mr. Patrick Balifi, Project Manager of Africa Cocoa Fund explained at a workshop, with the implementing Partners and Beneficiaries in Kumasi, that as part of Rainforest Alliance Cocoa programme, Africa Cocoa Fund has earmarked $5 million to support farmers who meet their Certification order requirements to strengthen the ability to face the challenge of Child labour, Agroforestry, geo-data location point and Digitalization.
According to him, the workshop is to get a feedback from their selected Certification order and to find out which way Africa Cocoa Fund can better deliver and serve communities and farmers in the implementation of Sustainability programme.
He disclosed that meeting the stakeholders enable them to better show what they have been able to do for the farmers from the fund, through Rainforest Alliance support to the communities.
He was optimistic that the exercise had been useful to farmers, partners and implementing partners to better replicate what has been done since 2020 and still supporting the farmers in West and Central Africa, working with four implementing partners.
Mr Maxwell Nyaba, Finance Manager of Rainforest Alliance, stated that Africa Cocoa Fund approved the fund to change the lives of farmers across four countries including Ghana, Cote d’ivoire, Cameroon and Nigeria, while the face one of the project has come to an end.
Mr. Joseph Baah, IT Director for Millennium Promise Africa as implementing partner disclosed that through the Africa Cocoa Fund they supported over 1,000 farmers with income diversification and over 300 other farmers into different income diversification.
He noted that key farmers groups with income diversification programmes focus on Rabbitry and Soap making within the beneficiary communities which involves 120 farmers groups providing them with capacity building.
Mr. Baah said his outfit has engaged a Consultant who is an expert in Rabbitry to provide comprehensive training to all farmers, with a start-up male and female Rabbits which started producing and also create ready market for them with Anglogold Ashanti and other local markets.
He said other farmers are being trained in soap making and baking of bread at Ahafo Goaso and surrounding communities to also serve as other sources of livelihoods after every Cocoa season to generate income as an alternative livelihood.
