Solidaridad presents 30 motorbikes, office equipment to local partners in Bong, Lofa, and Nimba
The Solidaridad West Africa recently presented motorbikes, desktop computers, printers, solar panels, and other office equipment to private implementing partners on the Liberia Cocoa Sector Improvement Programme (LICSIP) and the Cocoa Rehabilitation and Intensification Programme (CORIP).
A release from Solidaridad West Africa states that the organization is reassuring its commitment to help improve the Liberian cocoa sector. “Solidaridad West Africa has reiterated its commitment to work along with its donors, the European Union (EU) and the Embassy the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Accra Ghana and private partners to help improve the Liberian cocoa sector,” states Solidaridad West Africa.
Solidaridad-Liberia’s Cocoa Program Manager, Boima Bafaie who turned over the equipment said that the equipment will make private implementing partners efficient in their work.
He said before Liberia’s Civil War, Cocoa contributed a lot more to the country’s GDP as compared to now. Solidaridad, in collaboration with the EU, the Dutch Embassy in Ghana and the Government of Liberia through the partnership is striving to rehabilitate the sector. “We along with our partners want to rebuild what we had, maybe do even better, but this time, we want to do it in a more sustainable way the will continue to improve the livelihood of our cocoa farmers. That is why we have the LICSIP and CORIP.”
He spoke in Gbarnga Bong County over the weekend when he turned over the assets worth over US500,000. 00 US dollars to implementing Partners operating the Solidaridad’s Centers for Cocoa
Development (CCD) in Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties.
The CCD according to Bafaie, is the core strategy under the Liberia Cocoa Sector Improvement Programme (LICSIP) and the Cocoa Rehabilitation and Intensification Programme (CORIP), which is a one-stop-shop that private companies co-invest in to provide inputs, extension, farm management, and Labor services to smallholder cocoa farmers in Liberia.
According to the release, Solidaridad-Liberia will shortly distribute over 60000 improved cocoa seedlings that have been nursed at various nurseries in the project counties.
Receiving the items, the partners thanked Solidaridad, the EU and the Netherlands government for their support to Cocoa farmers in Liberia, and promised to properly use the equipment provided them. They assured the organization and donors that in the next five to ten years, Liberia will compete with Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and other neighboring countries in cocoa production.
The eight partners include Vademco. Incorp, Emfed Farms, and Tradelink. Others include Africa Ventures Liberia Limited, Community Youth Network Program, and WEINCO.
Solidaridad West Africa is implementing the CORIP and LICSIP, and the Sustainable West Africa Palm-oil Programme (SWAPP) in Liberia. All programs focus on stimulating sustainable supply chains through innovations in product marketing and trade relations, landscape management.
