Prez Mahama to develop innovative measures to make Cocoa sector more attractive to youth
President John Dramani Mahama says the government will continue to roll out incentives to make cocoa farming and production lucrative to encourage the youth to go into it.
He said cocoa has continuously remained the backbone of the country’s economy in spite of the recent discovery and production of oil and gas in commercial quantities.
President Mahama said this when he joined the Saviour Church of Ghana for its annual national convention at Osiem in the Eastern Region.
He said with adequate rainfall, the country is likely to produce again one million metric tonnes of cocoa this year.
President Mahama said he is resolved not only to address the immediate energy crisis but also putting in place long term measures that will enable the country to have excess power to deal with the generation shortfalls once and for all.
Radio Ghana’s Correspondent, Seth Eyiah reports that the Saviour Church of Ghana is one of the oldest indigenous Ghanaian founded churches in the country.
It was established in 1924 and it will celebrate its 91 years of existence this year. It can now boast of 30 basic schools, one secondary school, a hospital and farms.
President Mahama acknowledged the contribution of the Saviour Church to the spiritual and physical well being of its members and Ghanaians in general.
The government, he said, will support the church in its secular activities that contribute positively to the development of the country.
The President said cocoa has over the years proven to be the mainstay of the Ghanaian economy. It is for this reason that the government is determined to continuously support the sector and make it attractive especially to the youth.
On energy crisis, President Mahama said by 2018, the government would have added more than three thousand 800 megawatts of electricity generation to the existing two thousand 800 megawatts. He repeated his call on Ghanaians to conserve power.
The General Superintendent of Saviour Church of Ghana, Opanyin Abraham Adusei, who is the 2013 National Best Cocoa Farmer, advised christians to eschew vices especially corruption and bribery.
President Mahama donated 10 thousand cedis to the church.
Source: GBC
