The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture – John Setor Dumelo, has announced his intention to distribute free Ghana made cocoa drinks once in a week to all class 1 to class 4 pupils in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency (his constituency to be precise). He made this statement via a Press Release on X (formerly as twitter) and informed that, effective 2nd March, 2026, all public basic school pupils in his constituency will receive free Ghana made cocoa drinks once in a week, until the end of the year.
According to the Deputy Minister, cocoa is considered as one of the richest foods in polyphenol, that significantly benefits the cardio vascular system, brain, to lower blood pressure by improving cholesterol levels to aid in blood sugar regulation, as well. Again, cocoa itself also serves as a highly nutritional powerhouse, especially for children, whereby, its richness is seen in essential antioxidants, iron and magnesium; which are also vital for cognitive development in maintaining high energy levels throughout one’s daily activities.
Beyond these health benefits, the Deputy Minister also addressed that, the initiative to this commitment are basically to boost the Local Cocoa Industry and to get cocoa farmers and manufacturers motivated to continue their hard work in producing more of Ghana-made products. Again, he added that, the initiative is to enhance school attendance on the part of the pupils who sometimes are reluctant in going to school to learn to build their career for a better future. Consequently, he mentioned that the initiative is to indirectly encourage these young pupils to consistently be active in schools and participate well in their academics. Since, it is believed that, through the provision of these nutritious incentives (cocoa drinks), some level of punctuality and regularity would be instilled in these young ones towards their academics. In other words, some sort of consistency and participation will be elevated among them in their various schools.
Apart from that, the Deputy Minister also said Ghana’s National Pride lies in the future of these young pupils. Thus, actions like these trains them to appreciate Ghana made products as they grow, and eventually also fosters or instills a lifelong connection in them, to also promote Ghana’s national heritage even at the global level. “This program is a testament to the belief that, a healthy child, is a teachable child and therefore, together, smarter future generations can be secured and maintained”, he urged.
