As part of the 2021 National Chocolate Week celebration, Mr Fiifi Boafo, the Head of Public Affairs of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), has made a passionate appeal to Ghanaians to consume chocolates and cocoa-based products to boost their immune system against the coronavirus pandemic and to further protect the human body against infections.
Mr Fiifi Boafo said the best route to a healthy immune system is to regularly consume cocoa products such as chocolate confectionery, beverages, and chocolate-infused dishes as supplements to healthy meals.
According to Mr Boafo, eating chocolates and cocoa-based products activate natural immunity and enhance vaccination-induced immune response, providing stronger protection against influenza virus infection and related diseases.
Noting the benefits of cocoa to the human body, Mr Boafo was speaking at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, February 9, 2021, as part of a weeklong series of events to promote the consumption of locally produced chocolate in the country. The weeklong event, which is on the theme: “Eat chocolate, Stay healthy and Grow Ghana” began on February 8 to 14, 2021.
Mr Boafo said this is part of a broader plan to promote the consumption of our locally produced chocolate and other cocoa-based products. He noted that “this year, the decision by the government with its implementing agencies; the Ghana Cocoa Board, the Ghana Tourism Authority, the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and the Cocoa processing companies is to move our cocoa celebration from a day’s activity to a full week activity.
He said “cocoa remains our biggest export in terms of the revenue coming in and its impact on the Ghanaian public. The concern that we all have expressed as Ghanaians is that why do we continue to exporting our raw beans instead of processing because
when you process, you get a lot of money from it. So we have had this conversation over a period and we have gotten tom a stage where there is the need to put in a concrete actions that will help us achieve the set targets we have set for ourselves.”
He advised Ghanaians to adhere strictly to all existing protocols as directed by the government as a means to containing the spread of COVID-19 before, during and after the Valentine day celebration.
