Cocoa Processing Company delegation who are currently working with Food Science researchers called on the Dean of the International Programmes Office

On Thursday, August 21, 2025, a delegation from the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) paid a courtesy call on Professor Daniel Y. A. Duah, Dean of the International Programmes Office (IPO), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

The delegation, which included Mr. Thomas Asante (Principal Quality Systems Coordinator), Miss Sonia Tuffour (Senior Product Research and Development Officer) and Miss Belinda Ntow (KTP Associate), was introduced to the IPO by Professor Jacob Agbenorhevi, Associate Professor/Academic Lead at the Department of Food Science and Technology, KNUST.

Professor Agbenorhevi highlighted ongoing Africa Agri-food Knowledge Transfer Partnership (AAKPT) collaborative project involving CPC, the University of Health and Allied Sciences, the University of Huddersfield, and KNUST. The project seeks to extract pectin from okra for use as an emulsifier in chocolate production. He explained that the CPC team was at KNUST to review the extraction process and ensure compliance with international standards before introducing the method into the chocolate industry.

Mr. Asante corroborated Professor Agbenorhevi’s remarks, noting that replacing the usual lecithin with locally sourced pectin would help subsidize chocolate production and was happy with the research output so far.

Welcoming the delegation on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Daniel Duah reiterated KNUST’s commitment to bridging the gap between academia and industry. “I believe this will go a long way to reduce imports in the chocolate industry,” he stated. He wished the researchers well.

Also present at the meeting were Mr. Livingstone Agbenorxevi, Assistant Collaborations and Partnerships Officer, and Mr. Joel Mensah, Inbound and Outbound Exchange Officer both of the IPO.