Students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (KNUST) showcased innovative solutions to challenges facing Ghana's cocoa industry during the 2026 Ghana Cocoa Innovation Hackathon.
Organised by the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) as part of the College's Green Week celebrations, the hackathon brought together students, industry stakeholders and development partners to develop practical solutions for a more sustainable cocoa value chain.
The Provost of CANR, Professor Dadson Awunyo-Vitor, said innovation was critical to sustaining Ghana's cocoa industry, particularly in the face of climate change. He urged students to develop practical solutions that improve productivity and create new opportunities across the cocoa value chain.
Delivering the keynote address, Ms Naomi Tuinstra, Second Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, highlighted the strategic importance of cocoa to both Ghana and the Netherlands. She encouraged participants to harness technology, creativity and entrepreneurship to transform the sector.
"Don't ever think your ideas are unrealistic or not worth sharing. The cocoa sector needs fresh thinking, and you are the future that can drive that transformation," she said.
She also underscored the importance of collaboration among academia, industry and government in advancing sustainable cocoa production.
Lead organiser and Principal Investigator (PI), Dr Eli A. Gaveh, said the hackathon was designed to stimulate young people's interest in agriculture while strengthening collaboration between academia and industry.
"We want young people to see agriculture not as a limitation but as an opportunity for innovation, entrepreneurship and national transformation," he said.
He added that the initiative seeks to equip young people with the skills, networks and mentorship needed to develop innovative agribusiness solutions.
Following presentations by 10 student teams, the judges commended participants for proposing practical and relevant innovations capable of improving cocoa productivity, climate resilience and farmers' livelihoods.
Judge Mr Nicholas Dadzie praised the students for presenting technically sound and feasible solutions to challenges including cocoa rehabilitation, soil fertility management and sustainable production.
Another judge, Ms Lina Adutwumwaa Gyamfi, said she was impressed by the diversity and quality of the ideas presented, noting that several of the proposed innovations showed strong potential to improve cocoa productivity, climate resilience and farmers' incomes.
Group Six emerged as the overall winner with an innovation focused on rehabilitating Ghana's cocoa sector. Group Seven and Group Four placed second and third, respectively.
The initiative was organised in collaboration with the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, Kwadaso Agricultural College and Bunso Cocoa College.
Story: Belinda Opoku Danso Photos: Isaac Kwaku Duah
