The keynote address at the World Cocoa Foundation's 15th Anniversary, 2015 Partnership Meeting & Cocoa Sustainability Trade Fair in late June in Washington DC was given by Simeon Ehui, Global Agriculture Practice Manager for Africa at the World Bank,who grew up in Cote d'lvoire, who says he knew at first-hand what it was like to be poor and well understands the issues facing the cocoa sector in West Africa. "I come from a very modest family. We had no electricity in our home," said Mr Ehui, who holds a BS in Agricultural Economics, MS in Agricultural Economics and a PhD in Agricultural Economics. "I lost my father when I was 10, and my mother sold cloth in the marketplace to earn money." Nowadays, when he visits his home country, he said, "I see the same type of child in the same situation, and it hurts. So wherever I am, I try to help." It was appropriate in many ways, therefore, that Dr Ehui was selected to address the WCF partnership meeting and trade fair, and that he should speak on the subjects of improving cocoa farmers' social and economic conditions, and the need to afford them a living wage, the need for concrete and effective public and industry initiatives to promote sustainable cocoa production, and need to conserve natural resources in cocoa producing countries.
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