Awua honoured for excelling in science and industrialisation

The Ghana Science Association (GSA) has honoured Dr Paul Kwame Awua, Managing Director of the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC), for his commendable work in the promotion of industrialisation and the study of science in the country.

Kwame Aboh, National Treasurer of the GSA, presented a certificate of honour and a citation to Dr Awua, describing him as an outstanding person who had contributed to the growth of the CPC and for his immense contribution to the activities of the GSA.

He commended the Managing Director for making members of the association proud and said his qualities would urge scientists in the country to work harder to promote industrialisation to ensure the growth of the economy.

Dr Awua who started his science career as a nutritionist and microbiologist had since 1967 worked as a manager in various food processing industries including the former Tema Food Complex Corporation (TFCC) and the CPC where he assumed office as the MD in 1991.

At the time he assumed office at the CPC, the company was in near shambles and the government nearly placed it on the divestiture but through his instrumentality it rather became financially autonomous and worked harder to rehabilitate the obsolete structures and equipment.

Since then, production at the company had shot up tremendously with the turn over hitting 25,000 metric tonnes and had won several international awards for the high quality of its chocolates and cocoa confectionaries.

The company is now floating shares to involve the Ghanaian public. An expansion programme is underway to enable the factory to increase production to 65,000 tonnes and to come out with more brands of cocoa confectionaries.

Dr Awua attributed his successes to team-work, transparency by involving workers in decision making, the fear of God and patriotism, which made him able to resist temptations, adding that, "with these qualities, one cannot be easily influenced or indulge in negative practices," and urged his colleagues in the profession to adopt the practice to lead them to success.