Francis Bediako-Manu is 51 and lives in Mem in the Mansu area. He has a total of around 15 acres of cocoa trees, and produces up to 30 bags of beans in a good year.
Francis joined Kuapa Kokoo in 1998. “The first Kuapa Kokoo Recorder in Mem was my uncle,” he explains. “He told me how the cooperative works and how it cares for the farmers, so I joined it.”
“Now I’m the Recorder,” he continues. “I was elected last year. The farmers like me and trust me and have faith in me. They think I’m doing a good job!” Francis has the responsibility of accurately weighing all the cocoa brought in from the local Kuapa farmer members, checking its quality and paying the farmers promptly.
Francis’ sons are at junior school locally. “I want my sons to go on to secondary school and get different jobs,” he says. “But they will take over the farm when I die,” he adds.
Last year Francis, and his farmer colleague Rose Birago, a member of the Kuapa Women’s Group in Mem, represented their village at the AGM in Kumasi. “We found it very interesting – it was so good to meet so many other farmers and swap stories and experience.”
“In the future I hope we can sell more cocoa to Fairtrade.”