CMC adopts 24-hour operations to speed up cocoa movement, exports

The Cocoa Marketing Company (Ghana) Limited (CMC) has introduced 24-hour operations to reduce delays in the movement and export of Ghana’s cocoa.

The new system will allow cocoa to be received, supplied to local processing companies and prepared for export beyond normal working hours.

CMC Managing Director, Wisdom Kofi Dogbey, said the move would help reduce long waiting times for cocoa trucks and accelerate exports.

“The world does not stop at 5 p.m. or 4 p.m., and neither should Ghana’s cocoa ambition,” he said.

The initiative has three components; Offload 24, Load 24 and Export 24. It forms part of the government’s 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme.

Under Offload 24, CMC will receive cocoa from Licensed Buying Companies at any time of the day to reduce queues and congestion.

Load 24 will allow cocoa to be supplied to local processing companies beyond normal working hours, while Export 24 will extend the inspection, documentation and preparation of cocoa for shipment.

Dogbey said CMC centres in Tema, Kumasi and Takoradi previously operated mainly during normal working hours, which sometimes resulted in delays when trucks arrived late.

“A chain cannot move faster than its slowest link. For too long, at certain times of the day, that link has been us. This season, we remove that constraint,” he said.

Ghana's gold purchase losses were 'engineered', not genuine - Economist alleges

He clarified that the initiative does not mean employees will work continuously for 24 hours. Instead, workers will operate in shifts to ensure that operations continue throughout the day.

CMC expects the new system to reduce delays, support local cocoa processing and enable Ghana to export cocoa more quickly and efficiently.

DR/MA

'Deliberate attempt to undermine A-G' - Gyamfi jabs Afenyo-Markin over GoldBod claims