KNUST students develop technology to ease cocoa bean extraction

Some students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have built an alternative to the conventional manual method of extracting cocoa beans.

In a video shared on social media on October 13, 2026, the students showcased their invention.

The machine is designed to break open cocoa pods and separate the beans from the pod husks, a process traditionally carried out by hand by cocoa farmers and other workers involved in cocoa production.

Government launches SEED programme to turn students into job creators

It offers an alternative to the traditional approach, in which workers use tools such as wooden clubs or machetes to crack open harvested cocoa pods before removing the beans.

Cocoa pod breaking is an important stage in cocoa production, as the extracted beans are subsequently fermented, dried and prepared for processing.

Ghana is one of the world's major cocoa-producing countries, with the crop serving as an important source of income for farmers and contributing to the country's economy.

See the video below:

KNUST students share a video of a cocoa pod-breaking machine they built, which offers an alternative to the conventional manual method by breaking open cocoa pods and separating the beans from the pods. https://t.co/x1sIreU8CZ

— 𝐀𝐒𝐊 (@askghmedia) October 12, 2026