Switzerland is known for chocolate but doesn’t even grow cocoa – Mahama laments

Former Ghana President, John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday, September 21, delivered the keynote address at the 2023 Humanity Summit, Faro, Portugal.

At the event organised on the theme “Creating A New Paradigm of Trade Between the Global North and the Global South”, the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) bemoaned how Switzerland is known for chocolate but doesn’t even grow cocoa.

He argued that trade in Africa would be boosted if Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire managed to take over as big-time chocolate exporters.

“Switzerland is known for chocolate, but does Switzerland even grow cocoa? Imagine Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, the largest cocoa exporters, able to export their brands of chocolate widely,” ex-president John Dramani Mahama said.

He continued, “English Breakfast Tea is a popular breakfast beverage all over the world. But does England even grow tea? Imagine if Kenya, one of the largest exporters of tea and coffee, could export their brands worldwide.”

Mr Mahama in his address expressed optimism in Africa, noting that contrary to the constant barrage of pessimistic news and negative commentary about the African continent, much progress has been made.

He said more progress is needed and he is confident the continent will rise up and accomplish more with time through technological advancement.

“We also need the determination and momentum that stems from solidarity. The sort of solidarity that broke the chains of colonialism in rapid succession—one country after another, after another, after another—like dominoes falling. The kind of solidarity that recognises us as one united force, one continent of wonderfully diverse people whose destinies are intertwined,” Mahama stressed in his address.