Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) official presenting a chocolate to a nursing mother at the hospital
PATIENTS at the Maternal and Children’s Hospital in Kumasi were on Friday given a special treat as they were presented with free chocolates.
The largesse, which is a brainchild of the Ghana Tourism Authority’s (GTA), was to help mark the 2020 Chocolate Day, which also coincided with the Valentine’s Day, in a grand style.
Virtually, everybody in the hospital, including the medical staff, nurses, patients and other people present, either received a bar of chocolate or a cup of chocolate drink to mark the day.
Indeed, it was merrymaking galore as top officials of the GTA in the Ashanti Region, led by their regional manager, Peter Achampong, turned into ushers and served the benefactors.
Achampong in his remarks encouraged the citizenry to make the consumption of chocolate and other cocoa products such as chocolate drinks their habit henceforth.
According to him, the consumption of chocolate has immense health benefits for the people, suggesting that Ghana’s chocolate should be made affordable for the people to buy.
“On festive days such as the Chocolate Day, chocolates made in Ghana should be made affordable to encourage the people to buy them and also benefit from the health benefits,” he said.
Peter Achampong also suggested that chocolate drinks should be part of the menu of the School Feeding Programme so that pupils would develop strong interest in consuming chocolate.
Jones Opoku Boamah, Principal Research Officer, GTA, said Ghana’s chocolate was the best across the globe and so he admonished the populace to frequently consume chocolate.
Dr. Prosper Gbetor, Medical Superintendent, Maternal and Children’s Hospital, Kumasi, applauded the GTA for their positive gesture and urged them to sustain such laudable programmes.
Senior Quality Assurance Officer of the GTA, Matthew Osei Prempeh, on his part, urged players in the hospitality industry such as restaurants and drinking bars to keep their places tidy.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi