Cacao Innovation Hackathon

About this project

Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, relies heavily on the cocoa sector, which contributes 20-25% of export revenue and supports millions of smallholder farmers. Despite its importance, the industry faces significant challenges, including a lack of innovation. Local universities recognise the need for more research and development (R&D) and the valorisation of business ideas. However, robust links between cocoa sector companies and academic institutions remain underdeveloped. Additionally, entrepreneurship curricula often lack relevant case studies from local businesses, limiting their practical application.This project seeks to bridge these gaps by integrating companies, universities, and students into a collaborative framework. Cocoa processors and chocolate companies will identify their most pressing challenges, which will be reframed as business opportunities through design thinking workshops. Interdisciplinary teams of Ghanaian students will address these challenges, gaining entrepreneurial skills through hands-on experience.By fostering collaboration among students, educators, and industry players, the project aims to create practical, innovative solutions to enhance the sustainability and efficiency of the cocoa sector. Long-term impact will be achieved by encouraging private sector contributions, both financial and in-kind, and embedding the hackathon concept into the curricula of institutions such as the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technolog…

Published by

Netherlands Enterprise Agency · Government

Countries

Ghana

Sectors

Business development servicesAgricultural education/training

Focus

Trade development · Main focus

Funded by

Netherlands Enterprise Agency

Implemented by

Stichting Van Hall Larenstein

Accountable

Netherlands Enterprise Agency

Published by Netherlands Enterprise Agency to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), last updated 20 Jul 2026 and imported automatically. IATI identifier: NL-KVK-27378529-CKB24GH03.

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