Fair Trade Ghana Network

Following a successful conduct of the 6th Annual General meeting of Fair Trade Ghana Network (FTGN) and the election of new executive board members in November 2023, the handing over and swearing-in of the new executive board was held on 10th January 2023 at the Bethel Heights Hotel, Madina, Greater Accra Region.

FairTrade Ghana Network organized a Fair trade awareness creation event on 27th November 2023 at the Pentecost University, Sowutuom, Greater Accra Region. This event brought together over four hundred (400) participants from several cooperatives, and stakeholders like Fairtrade Africa (FTA), Small Producers’ Symbols (SPP), the Ghana Civil-Society Cocoa Platform (GCCP), the Department of cooperatives, Kosmos Innovation Centre (KIC), the National Communication Authority (NCA), RESCONI etc.

The aim of this activity was to promote the concept of fair trade among producers, stakeholders and the general public. The event was organised with support from the EQUITY 2 Project, AVSF, CEF, Fairtrade Africa, the Pentecost University Ghana, and the Ghana Civil-society Cocoa Platform. Exhibition stands were setup for members to exhibit their products as a way of promoting local production and consumption. The event which commenced at 11:00am was chaired by Mr. Edward Akapire, the Head of Region of Fairtrade Africa-West African Network.

Fair Trade Ghana Network held its 6th Annual General meeting on the 28th and 29th of November 2023 at the Bethel Heights Hotel. In attendance were representatives from the various member organizations, RESCONI, the Ghana Civil-society Cocoa Platform, the Association of Ghana Industries, Fairtrade Africa, Agronomist and veterinarians without Borders, ABA Associates, among others.

Following a formal notification of Fair Trade Ghana Network by two member-cooperatives of their intentions to advocate against the destruction of their farmlands by illegal miners and developers two executive board members Mr. Emmanuel Nana Kwame Addo, the organiser, and Mr. Gideon Doe Bokomi, the vice president were assigned to assist with this advocacy action.

The President, Mrs. Florence Blankson and the Coordinator Mr. Felix Ayambire of Fair Trade Ghana Network attended the 2023 Salon International De L’agriculture et des Resources Animales (SARA) in Abidjan, Cote D’voire from 29th September 2023 to 8th October, 2023. The EQUITY 2 project Partners, Agronomists and Veterinarians without borders (AVSF) and Commerce Equitable France (CEF) sponsored representatives from the various National platforms of Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso and Cote Dvoire to attend this important event.

From 9th to 11th October, 2023, representatives of the national platforms of Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cote D’voire, and Burkina Faso attended a workshop organized by the EQUITY 2 implementing partners; Agronomist and Veterinarians without borders (AVSF) and Commerce Equitable France (CEF) at the BNB Hotel in Abidjan, Coccody. The aim of this workshop was to provide a platform for all the national Networks to learn, discuss and share knowledge and ideas on the ways to make the National Networks sustainable.

An Advocacy training workshop organized by Fair Trade Ghana Network in partnership with the EBNA Royal Consult was conducted from 25th – 27th September 2023 in the conference hall of Bethel Height Hotel, Madina, Accra. The aim of this training was to empower the staff and selected members of the Network with the right knowledge and skills on advocacy.

From the 4th-10th September, the executive board members of Fair Trade Ghana Network and the Coordinator embarked on working field visits to selected member organisations for the purposes of familiarisation, data collection, identification of prospects and challenges in their respective sectors.

The Coordinator of Fair Trade Ghana Network and the lead Consultant of EBNA Royal Consult visited eight (8) member cocoa POs, namely; West Akyem Cooperative, ABOCFA, FANTEAKWA, Kuapa Kokoo, Offinso Fine Flavour, Asunafo North Cocoa Cooperative, Kukuom Cocoa Cooperative and Amansie West Cocoa Cooperative to elicit data as inputs for the preparation of context analysis report of the cocoa sector of Ghana. Data was collected from the POs using an interview guide which was prepared and sent to each of the POs prior to the engagement.

Fair Trade Ghana Network in collaboration with Fairtrade Africa organized a three-day advocacy capacity building training for twenty-three (23) selected Fair Trade Cooperatives at the Bethel Heights Hotel, Madina, Greater Accra Region. The training which was facilitated by two Staff of “SISTAR consultancy firm commenced on the 26th of July and ended on the 28th July, 2023.

Fair Trade Ghana Network (FTGN) in collaboration with Small Producers’ Symbols (SPP), organised a day’s event at the Camp Martins Hotel in the Ashanti region to create awareness of the SPP label and to seek for new members SPP is a Label operating globally in over twenty-five (25) producing countries. The Small Producers Symbol (SPP), is a label that represents an alliance among organized small producers to build a local and global market that values the identity and the economic, social, cultural and ecological contributions of products from small Producers’ Organizations.

The fourth annual steering committee meeting of the Equity 2 Program was held in Ghana from 7th to 9th March 2023 at NODA Hotel in the Ashanti region of Ghana. A total of 28 participants from six countries; Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cote d’voire, France, and Kenya were present for the steering committee meeting. These participants including representatives from Fair trade France (CEF), Agronomist and Veterinarians without Borders (AVSF), French Development Agency (AFD), Fair trade National platforms, Fairtrade Africa, and Fair trade certification bodies (WFTO, SPP, Bio partner, Ecocert). The President, Secretary, Coordinator, the Finance and Administrative Officer, and the organizer of Fair Trade Ghana Network (FTGN) attended this event.

As part of efforts to help increase farm profitability and ensure that the root causes of poverty are addressed for cocoa farmers in Africa, the national fair trade platforms; of Ghana, Fair Trade Ghana Network (FTGN); the Ivorian Fair Trade Network (RICE), Burkina Faso, Togo and Benin and the French Fair Trade Platform (Commerce Equitable France) met in Accra, Ghana on the 13th March 2023, Ghana to discuss and identify the challenges and opportunities in the Cocoa sector.
This workshop was themed “Structuring the Coordination of Our Platforms in order to strengthen our Joint Capacity for Dialogue on the Necessary Fair Sharing of Value within the Cocoa Sector. The workshop came at a time when farmers believe good pricing is the engine to sustaining the cocoa sector in Africa. The objectives of this workshop being a gathering of top cocoa value chain actors and producers traditionally covered a wide spectrum of issues in the cocoa sector. The workshop brought in more than 50 key stakeholders in the cocoa sector including the Cote D’lvoire Ghana Cocoa Initiative, the Ghana Civil-Society Cocoa Platform, SEND Ghana, EcoCare Ghana among others discuss ways to ensure sustainability in cocoa production.

As part of efforts to help increase farm profitability and ensure that the root cause of poverty are addressed for cocoa farmers in Africa, the national fair trade Platforms; of Ghana, Fair Trade Ghana Network (FTGN); the Ivorian Fair Trade Network (RICE) and the French Fair Trade Platform (Commerce Equitable France) met in Accra, Ghana to discuss and identify the challenges and opportunities in the Cocoa sector.

The Côte d’Ivoire – Ghana Cocoa Initiative has disclosed that it is working assiduously to ensure better pricing of cocoa for farmers. The Côte d’Ivoire – Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI) is a cocoa alliance set up by the presidents of the two countries to raise cocoa prices. The two countries jointly control 60% of global cocoa production. Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in 2019 demanded a $400 premium from cocoa buyers called the Living Income Differential.

Speaking at the Cocoa Advocacy Workshop, Technical Manager for the Initiative, Tawiah Agyarko-Kwarteng, stated that although the Living Income Differential Pricing was established not long ago, farmers are still not benefiting from their produce.

In August and September 2022, Fair Trade Ghana Network organised series of financial management trainings for seventeen (17) of its member organisations with the aim of building their capacities to access finance.

These trainings were a follow up from needs assessments conducted on them by John Doss Consult, a leading finance Consult, which was contracted by our long standing sponsors Agronomists and Veterinarians without borders (AVSF). A total of fifty (50) representatives from these seventeen (17) member organisations participated in these three-day trainings in Accra, Koforidua, and Kumasi.

Fair Trade Ghana Network organised an empowerment training for thirty three (33) members (24 women and 9 men) of ACOPPS and AMOPPA Organic producers and exporters ltd in the Central region of Ghana on the 22nd of July 2022. The aim of this training was to empower the women to take up leadership roles and for the men to support in this empowerment drive.

Barely a month after being sworn into office, the executives of Fair trade Ghana Network organised a three (3) day planning meeting from 25th- 28th February, 2022 in Apam, the Central Region of Ghana to effectively brainstorm in promoting the agenda of FTGN for the year 2022. In attendance also was the newly recruited Network Coordinator, Mr. Felix Ayambire. This meeting took the form of presentations and deliberations where the executives provided details of the present situations, potentials and challenges in the art and craft, fruits and nuts, and cocoa sectors. The Network coordinator also brought forth his strategies for the growth of the network. Critical action points at providing support for Producer organisations as well as revamping members’ interest were agreed on.

The executives and coordinator of Fair Trade Ghana Network (FTGN) attended a joint planning activity of Fairtrade Africa (FTA) and hired labour Organisations (HLOs) on 31st March 2022 at Senchi in the Eastern Region. The aim of this program was for these HLOs to jointly identify areas of collaborations and learning from one another and with FTA. Representations of these HLOs; Golden Exotics Ltd, Volta River Estates Ltd, Musahamat Ltd, HPW Fresh & Dry Ltd, Bomarts Ltd, and Bio-tropical Ltd provided background of their organisations, their planned activities for the year 2022, as well as the hazards of their operations and what was being done to prevent or reduce incidences.
The presentation by FTGN provided a background to the Network, the planned activities for the year 2022, previous years’ activities as well as reasons why nonmembers should join the Network.

The President, and the Coordinator of Fair Trade Ghana Network(FTGN), Mrs. Florence Blankson and Mr. Felix Ayambire respectively embarked on a working trip to Togo to attend the third annual steering committee meeting of the Equity Project from the 14th to 18th March 2022. The Equity Project is a sub-regional project with the aim of contributing to the sustainable economic development of low-income countries, fighting against poverty and strengthening family agriculture by supporting the development of equitable sustainable sectors in West Africa. The first phase of the project was from 2016 to 2018 and covered 6 West African countries (Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Mali) and the second phase from 2020 to 2022.