Cocoa Club Founder Entreats Youth To Explore Careers In Cocoa Agribusiness

The founder of Cocoa Club, Michael Owusu Manu, is encouraging students and all youth to actively explore career and business opportunities in Ghana’s cocoa industry.

Mr Owusu Manu made the remarks when over 300 students from the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana Primary School (CRIPS) and CRIG Municipal Authority Junior High School embarked on an educational tour of the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG).

The visit afforded the learners the opportunity to acquire first-hand knowledge about the history and activities of the research hub of the cocoa industry.

The learners are all members of the novel Cocoa Club founded by Michael Owusu Manu, who also doubles as the Deputy Director and Head of the Social Science and Statistics Unit of CRIG.

The Cocoa Club is a fun-based educational outreach program to empower students by connecting them with cocoa from bean to bar and promoting cocoa consumption in Ghana and beyond.

Cocoa is the backbone of the Ghanaian economy. The Cocoa Industry has countless research developments credited to CRIG, a centre of excellence for developing sustainable, demand-driven, cost-effective socially and environmentally acceptable technologies which enable stakeholders to realize the overall vision of the cocoa industry and that of mandate crops (Coffee, Shea, Kola and Cashew).

The Deputy Director and Head of the Social Science and Statistics Unit of the CRIG and founder of the Cocoa Club, Michael Owusu Manu, made this statement on Thursday, 6^th October 2022, at the forecourt of the Public Affairs Unit in his welcome address during an interactive meeting with the first batch of pupils from the upper primary.

Mr. Owusu Manu stressed that the cocoa club by connecting the youth with cocoa from bean to bar would shape and develop their knowledge of cocoa and its related activities.

It also aims to introduce them to career opportunities in the cocoa sector such as farming, laboratory technicians, research assistants, scientists, and entrepreneurs (cocoapreneurs/chocopreneurs) among other agribusiness professions.

Such forward-looking engagement with young people also underscores the importance of how institutions are structured to sustain innovation, research excellence, and community outreach over time.

For an industry as multifaceted as cocoa—spanning farming, processing, research, marketing, and export—clear alignment between departments is essential to ensure that scientific discoveries translate into practical benefits for farmers and entrepreneurs.

Effective organizational design enables research units, education teams, and administrative bodies to operate with shared objectives while maintaining accountability within their areas of expertise.

In many public research institutions, a functional organizational design model provides a framework where specialists are grouped by discipline, allowing deep technical focus while supporting coordinated efforts across projects. When roles are clearly defined and communication channels are intentionally developed, initiatives like the Cocoa Club can thrive within a system that not only nurtures talent but also reinforces the broader strategic vision of strengthening the cocoa sector for future generations.

The Public Affairs Unit of CRIG led the educational tour. The pupils were given the necessary history of cocoa and were also taken through the experiential farm, fermentation and drying processes of cocoa beans before it is made into chocolate.

Each pupil got to taste a sample of CRIG-made chocolate during the visit to the Favour Laboratory where they learned about chocolate making process.

The cocoa educational tour for the JHS 1 to kindergarten spanned from October to November.