Ghana Cocoa Board confirms CEO Joseph Aidoo for 2023’s World Confectionery Conference
Cocobod CEO, Hon Joseph Aidoo, leads the organisation's management of the cocoa sector in Ghana. Pic: Cocobod
The Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) has confirmed its CEO, Hon Joseph Aidoo, is to become the latest key addition to our World Confectionery Conference event, bringing a focus on vital supply chain developments for the confectionery sector, reports Neill Barston.
This year’s event, which is set to be staged on 5 October 2023 at the Harrogate Convention Centre, Yorkshire, UK, covers the entire spectrum of our industry, addressing major topics across sustainability, business resilience and product and systems innovation.
Our dynamic line-up of presentations includes key speakers from Cargill, Nestlé, Ferrero, plus European confectionery body Caobisco, as well as valuable confectionery sector insights from FMCG Gurus research group, Fairtrade, Farmforce, GNT, Baker Perkins, Royal Duyvis Wiener, MacIntyre, as well as contributions from Cama Packaging, Luker Chocolate and Plamil Foods.
Registration is continuing for the event through our newly refreshed dedicated World Confectionery Conference website, which also includes our optional activity day including chocolate making on Friday 6 October in neighbouring York, led by confectionery business York Cocoa House.
As CEO of Ghana’s Cocobod, Hon Joseph Aidoo has considerable experience representing his organisation on a global level, drawing attention to the body’s goals of ensuring quality crops and managing key policy and strategy for the industry.
His confirmation as part of our event comes at an especially notable period for international cocoa supply chain developments, as the EU prepares to implement major due diligence supply chain legislation, including provisions for enhanced human rights protection for agricultural workers and their families, as well as parallel legal protection tackling deforestation.
Among recent major policy interventions that Cocobod has engaged with is in backing the Ivory Coast-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CGCI), which has introduced cocoa price premiums within the past two years, aimed at helping deliver a living income for farmers in the wide region.
Confectionery Production’s editor Neill Barston commented: “We look forward to welcoming Hon Joseph Aidoo to our event in the UK this October, which I am sure will prompt some dynamic conversations regarding the vital cocoa industry supply chain, of which Ghana continues to play a significant role.
“While our event has been designed very much to place a spotlight on the complete value chain of the industry, the cocoa trade remains critical for core market areas of chocolate confectionery, snacks and bakery ranges, so the chance to continue the key conversations from last year’s conference will no doubt be particularly enlightening as to the future policy direction within the industry.”
