Fairtrade Africa’s Cocoa Hubs Project strengthens rural service centres in cocoa-growing communities

Fairtrade Africa, as part of its Cocoa Hubs Project of Strengthening Rural Service Centres for a Sustainable and Resilient Cocoa Sector in Ghana, has equipped facilitators of Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) in cocoa-growing communities across Ghana with digital data collection skills and knowledge.

The initiative marks a major shift toward climate-conscious, paperless operations aimed at capturing real-time data to better serve rural farming communities.

Speaking to JoyNews on Wednesday at Goaso to climax the training sessions, the Project Coordinator of Fairtrade Africa, Salma Suhuyini Fuseini, highlighted that the project supports 21 Rural Service Centres across six key cocoa-producing regions: Ashanti, Eastern, Central, Western North, Ahafo, and Bono.

The Cocoa Hubs Project is implemented by Fairtrade Africa in partnership with Tropenbos Ghana, with funding support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

She noted that the Rural Service Centres (RSCs) serve as community-based agricultural enterprises that connect smallholder farmers with essential resources including agricultural inputs, farm management support, mechanisation, financial services, training, and direct market access.

The Project Coordinator added that the primary objective of the initiative is to strengthen the institutional, operational, and financial capacities of Rural Service Centres, transforming them from traditional service providers into self-sustaining, commercially viable rural enterprises.

“Instead of individual farmers searching for labour or inputs on their own, they can now turn to these professionalised hubs situated right within their communities to access labour, extension, and other vital support, effectively complementing the work of Cocoa Health and Extension Division officers,” she indicated.

As part of the project’s holistic strategy, Mrs Suhuyini stated, Village Savings and Loans Associations have been established where farmers pool their resources together through savings and deliver loans to each other under their own self-governed constitutions.

She stressed that to ensure long-term success, Fairtrade Africa has trained professional facilitators representing these Rural Service Centres.

The Project Coordinator noted that these facilitators have mobilised and operationalised farmer groups, organised savings structures, and initiated data collection to identify specific community needs.

“As a climate-conscious organisation, Fairtrade Africa is transitioning from paper-based systems to digital documentation, enabling the project to collect real-time information, reduce data collection delays, and enhance operational efficiency across all participating regions.” She reiterated

Participants Mark Bofah Ababio and Emmanuel Adjei Boadi described the training program as a timely and comprehensive intervention that empowers them to meet society’s changing technological needs while promoting a sustainable and resilient agricultural sector.