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KNUST
act
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PROJECTS
THE HERSHEY COCOA PROJECT (ENHANCING FARMING TECHNIQUES IN MANSO ATWERE)
Many individuals in diverse ways have tried to emphasize the importance of cocoa to the socioeconomic development of the country. Ghana’s cocoa has been described as the backbone of Ghana’s economy.
(Osei, 2007). Approximately 86% of the world’s cocoa production is done by small landholder farmers.
This small landholder farmers are however faced with numerous challenges in a transactional economy like Ghana’s cocoa sector as it cautiously liberalizes the industry. The team in partnership with the Hershey Company seeks to work with cocoa farmers and empower
them around enhanced farming techniques by involving all stakeholders such as the agriculture extension officers in the district.
The main focus is centered on enhancing the farming techniques of the cocoa farmers as well as keeping them abreast with modern farming processes. This will help to reduce pest and disease control and
increase the competitiveness of cocoa produced by the farmers thus boosting their profit margin.
Some of these farmers who happen to be physically challenged afterwards will be aided to start a cocoa nursery, where they will be nursing the seeds to sell to farmers in order to generate income for themselves.
3. THE SIFE/ENACTUS “SOBOLO PROJECT''
One major challenge facing most ENACTUS teams is the issue of funds or revenue to aid in successful implementation of projects and running of day to day activities. Most teams tend to depend on corporate organizations for sponsorship to execute their project which most often come in very late
or not honored at all. This challenge is no different from that of ENACTUS KNUST.
As Entrepreneurs in Action, we sought to solve this challenge by embarking on an intensive internal income generating venture that is starting the SIFE/ENACTUS SOBOLO BUSINESS.
“Sobolo” also known as “bisap” has become a common household drink enjoyed by both old and young and most especially students on campus. It is a local drink made from the hibiscus flower with local spices like ginger and fruits extracts. The drink is prepared and packaged in well labeled plastic bottles
by team members and distributed to some hostels off campus and also to the some selected stores on campus.
The market for sobolo has increased in recent times and we saw this as an opportunity to engage in a venture that will generate revenue to support all activities of the team.
THE PRENA LIQUID SOAP PROJECT
The “Prena Liquid soap” project aims at training the people of Apiedu Kokoben in liquid soap making.
The main occupation of these people is petty trading. The project seeks to serve as a means of income diversification as well as creating employment for the unemployed youth and inhabitants of the community.
The pilot phase of the project entails training the people of Apiedu kokoben in liquid soap making as well as basic business skills that will help them sustain the project. This will be done by the team with the help of a supervisor and student from the biochemistry department of KNUST.
The training will focus on ingredients used in the soap making, safety precautions as well as step by step procedure in the production process. Having achieved this, they will be aided to produce in large quantities. They will then be linked to potential customers such as eateries and canteens in and around
campus, some restaurants and some junior and senior high schools, some stores and supermarkets.
The liquid soap was chosen because of the available market, low capital requirement and its very easy to make.
