The Cocoa Processing Company(CPC) in collaboration with the Department of Food Science and Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has held the maiden “Coco Challenge”. The competition was aimed at encouraging students to come up with their own innovative, commercially viable, marketable and excellent products with good shelf life.

According to Professor Mrs. Ibok Oduro, Provost of the College of Science, out of 16 entries,14 were selected at the Department and forwarded to CPC, which were further shortlisted to five (5). However, CPC had interest in other 3 entries which they recommended that the Department collaborates with Nestle, Unilever, a cosmetic company and the Accra Brewery for it to be further developed.

Professor Mrs. Oduro, stated that such competitions are good and should be encouraged especially in public-private partnership arrangements. This, she thinks, exposes the students and the University and make the institution more visible in embarking on one of its core mandates of community engagement. She noted that other entries would be forwarded to the Kumasi Business Incubator to assist students set up as entrepreneurs.

Dr. Frank Asante, Deputy Managing Director Operations, CPC, said his outfit will give opportunity to the team that is selected to spend time in the factory to move the concept from the mind to a product in the factory as well as look for technology to make it an actual product.

Giving a background to the “Coco Challenge” Dr. Asante said it is a collaboration between the CPC and the Department. The idea according to him was mooted by Professor William Ellis and Prof. Oduro who through their teaching of “product development and concepts” decided to challenge students to go beyond theory and come out with tangible products for the market.

Hence the collaboration with the CPC to help materialize the idea through the competition.