GOC signs partnership agreement with Cocoa from Ghana

The Ghana Olympic Committee and Cocoa from Ghana on Thursday signed a partnership agreement ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The agreement brings together the umbrella body of the Olympic Movement in Ghana and one of the major players in the cocoa production business in the world.

Together, the two organisations aim to project the proud values of the country by investing in its youth using sports and cocoa production as tools for development.

As an Olympic body, the GOC seeks to develop and protect the Olympic Movement in Ghana, and to promote the ideals of the Commonwealth Games in accordance with the Olympic Charter and the Constitution of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).

The agreement will be a massive boost to the efforts of the local Olympic governing body which has been using sports to positively impact the lives of Ghanaians and build career paths for hardworking sportsmen and women over the years.

The GOC President Prof. Francis Dodoo expressed his excitement about the new partnership and indicated that he thought the relationship was well-placed because, given the youthfulness of Ghana’s new generation of athletes in the various sports and the newness of the Cocoa for Ghana (CfG) brand, he could see Ghana’s performances and the CfG brand rising together over the next few years.

He also thought the opportunity for Ghanaian athletes to market a commodity that has been so historically integral to Ghana’s development was such a wonderful opportunity for the athletes to give back to our beautiful country.

Cocoa from Ghana is a Dutch based organisation desirous of projecting the image of Ghana by marketing the country’s cocoa to the outside world.

The General Manager of Cocoa from Ghana expressed his delight at the agreement.

Background:

The GOC’s primary role is as the sole authorized party to lead Team Ghana to the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

The current GOC administration has played a leading role in sports development in Ghana.

Working through Olympic Solidarity, the GOC has invested over $1,000,000 into Sports development in Ghana since 2012.

Over two hundred people made up of athletes, coaches, journalists and administrators have directly benefited from training programmes embarked upon by the GOC through the Olympic Solidarity since 2012.

The training programmes included Technical Courses for Coaches, Sports Administration Courses, Coaching Development Scholarships, Athlete Development Scholarships, Preparation Grants for Teams attending major competitions like the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and African Youth Games.