The Cadbury Cocoa Partnership Programme, an initiative of Kraft Foods, is committing GH¢1.7 million under its Challenge Fund to support development projects in some cocoa growing communities.

A contract to that effect was signed between the Partnership and nine construction firms to undertake 11 development projects in selected communities across four Regions of the country.

Mr. James Boateng, Managing Director, Cadbury Ghana Limited and Ms Anna Swaithes, Head of Development Cadbury Cocoa Partnership Global Programmes, signed the agreement with the nine construction firms undertaking the projects.

Objectives of the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership Community Challenge Fund include support for community development and implementation of projects that have sustainable community-wide benefits with measurable long-term impact in education, livelihoods and health.

In addition, it supports the capacity of community members to identify and access resources to meet their developmental needs and to facilitate a process of increasing the capacity of individuals or groups, particularly women and the youth to make choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes.

Mr. Boateng urged the contractors to commit to timelines for the execution of the project to ensure that they were delivered on schedule to the communities.

Mrs Yaa Peprah-Amekudzi, Programme Director Cadbury Cocoa Partnership, said 51 proposals were received from 49 communities to undertake various development projects out of which a panel of stakeholders selected 11 projects.

The selected projects include a resource centre for the midwifery training school at Goaso and a three-unit classroom block for the Fawohoyeden Junior High School, both in the Asunafo North District, in Brong Ahafo Region.

Others are a four-unit teachers’ living quarters at Sekyere Adiembra in the Mpohor Wassa East District, a three classroom Kindergarten block at Bunsuso in the Fanteakwa District, an ICT Centre for Kofi Pare in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District and a health centre with nurses quarters at Esaaso in the West Akim District.

There will be 200 motorised spraying machines, 400 manual knapsack spraying machines with training to 100 communities in Amansie West, Asunafo North, Fanteakwa, Mpohor Wassa East, New Juaben, Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar and West Akim Districts.

Mrs Peprah-Amekudzi said the projects and the subsequent ones would, in addition to government-supported community-led development as well as other interventions financed by the Partnership, facilitate thriving cocoa producing communities to ensure a sustainable cocoa supply chain.

The Partnership is a £30 million initiative established by Cadbury in partnership with the UNDP, Ghana Cocoa Board, CARE International, Voluntary Services Overseas and World Vision Ghana in 2008 to run for 10 years.

It aims to support sustainable cocoa supply chain in the country targeting 500 communities, and currently operating in 209 communities.**