Monrovia – Solidaridad West Africa has reiterated its commitment to continuously work along with its donors, the European Union (EU) and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Accra Ghana and private partners to help improve the Liberian cocoa sector.
Speaking at the turning over ceremony of several motorbikes and office equipment to private implementing partners, Solidaridad’s Cocoa Program Manager said the assets were co-funded by the private partners who were receiving it.
The items include 30 motorbikes, 30 sets of desktop computers, printers and solar panels, including office desks and chairs among others.
Boima Bafaie noted that the equipment will help make the works of the partners more efficient.
Bafaie said prior to Liberia’s civil war, Cocoa contributed a lot more to the country’s GDP as compared to now.
As such, Solidaridad, in collaboration with the EU, the Dutch Embassy in Ghana and the Government of Liberia through the partnership is striving to rehabilitate the sector.
“We along with our partners want to rebuild what we had, maybe do even better, but this time, we want to do it in a more sustainable way they will continue to improve the livelihood of our cocoa farmers. That’s is why we have the LICSIP and CORIP,” he said.
Bafaie spoke in Gbarnga Bong County over the weekend when he turned over the assets worth over US$500,000 to implementing Partners operating the Solidaridad’s Centers for Cocoa Development (CCD) in Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties.
The CCD, according to him, is the core strategy under the Liberia Cocoa Sector Improvement Programme (LICSIP) and the Cocoa Rehabilitation and Intensification Programme (CORIP), which is a one-stop shop that private companies co-invest in to provide inputs, extension, farm management, and Labor services to smallholder cocoa farmers in Liberia.
The Solidaridad Liberia Senior Manager added that as part of the effort to improve the Cocoa Sector, Solidaridad will shortly distribute over 600,000 improved cocoa seedlings that have been nursed at various nurseries in the project counties.
Receiving the items, the partners thanked Solidaridad, the EU, and Netherlands government for their support to the sector, and promised to make proper use of the equipment.
They assured the organization and donors that in the next five to 10 years, Liberia will be competing with Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and other neighboring countries in cocoa production.
The eight partners include Vademco. Incorp, Emfed Farms, and Tradelink. Others include Africa Ventures Liberia Limited, Community Youth Network Program, and WEINCO.
Solidaridad West Africa implements the CORIP and LICSIP, and the Sustainable West Africa Palm-oil Programme (SWAPP) in Liberia. All programs focus on stimulating sustainable supply chains through innovations in product marketing and trade relations, landscape management.