Summary
Cocoa, widely consumed as chocolate, stands as one of West Africa’s most crucial exports. Despite numerous private and multi-stakeholder initiatives aimed at enhancing economic prosperity, improving working conditions, and promoting ecological sustainability within the cocoa sector, sustainability concerns persist. Challenges include entrenched poverty, child labour among cocoa farmers, and deforestation resulting from cocoa farming expansion.
Join us for the Evidensia learning event, hosted in collaboration with the Food and Agricultural Commodity Systems Community. This event offers an opportunity to delve into the latest research insights on the biggest sustainability issues in the cocoa sector, and the efforts underway to tackle them.
Key questions from experts in the cocoa sector include:
- How can Private-Public Partnerships (PPPs) assist governments in cocoa-producing countries in combatting child labour?
- What are the barriers and potential solutions to achieving a living income in the cocoa sector?
- How have landscape and jurisdictional approaches been employed to address deforestation caused by cocoa farming?
Speakers:
- Dr. Kristy Leissle, Founder & CEO, African Cocoa Marketplace, Inc.
- Katie Bird, Communications Director, International Cocoa Initiative
- Mawuli Coffie, Country Director, Ghana, World Cocoa Foundation
- Isaac Charles Acquah, Jnr., Director, Natural Resource Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana