UEW Ready to Partner Casa de Ropa

Management of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has expressed their enthusiasm to partner, Casa de Ropa Ghana Limited, a Ghanaian limited liability company at Gomoa Bewadze, near Winneba to strengthen the industry-academia relationship.

Casa de Ropa with a 300-acre potato processing factory focuses on farming, food processing, and consultancy to improve production knowledge and technology, value addition, and marketing innovations to the benefit of all actors in the value chain. 

The partnership, when finalised, would give UEW students at the College of Agriculture Education and the Business School access to benefit from the factory as a centre of excellence and research.  

This came to light on Friday, 18th September, 2020, at the Council Chamber, North Campus, Winneba, when a three-member delegation from Casa de Ropa Ghana Limited led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr. Ebenezer Obeng-Baffoe, paid a courtesy call on the University Management. 

CEO of Casa de Ropa Ghana Limited, Mr. Ebenezer Obeng-Baffoe

In brief remarks, Mr. Ebenezer Obeng-Baffoe revealed that his outfit thought it wise to partner academia because he believed that the country had not paid much attention to the many benefits agribusiness offers.

“We are so much dependent on food imports and what we are doing is an example of how a country can take its own raw materials and process it to bring value. Currently, in what we are doing, we are using up to 55% of the sweet potato to replace flour. So, if you have a piece of bread, 55% of it is orange-fleshed sweet potato, 45% is flour. 

“So, as a country, we are already doing 400,000 metric tonnes of flour import. We believe that by producing this piece of bread, having used 55% of sweet potato means we are creating opportunities for farmers. The fact that we have replaced the flour with 55% of our raw material means we are reducing the import burden and strengthening the value of the cedi,” he said. 

The team from Casa de Ropa displaying some of their products

Mr. Obeng-Baffoe indicated that because sweet potato has its own natural sugar, the potato bread produced by his outfit is sugar-free adding, the refined sugar from the potato bread also cuts down on the importation of sugar.  

“We have gone far with our product in terms of product development.  We could use the same product to produce 21 different products including mosquito coil and tea. So, as we are growing, we decided that we will partner academia,” the CEO asserted.  

The Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni lauded the visiting team for their great services to the nation. He requested that they bring a formal proposal to enable the two parties to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to make each entity more relevant in supporting to find more jobs for the teeming youth.   

Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni

“We are very grateful for your coming. I hope that the University can support you or collaborate with you in ensuring that we make our local businesses thrive,” The Vice-Chancellor stated.  

Among other University Management members present were the Ag. Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Andy Ofori-Birikorang; Registrar, Surv. Paul Osei-Barima Esq.; Finance Officer, Mr. Francis Obeng, Ag. Internal Auditor, Mr. Isaac Marfo Oduro and Director, Physical Works and Development, Arc. Grace Oppong-Peprah.  

Management of UEW interacting with the delegation from the Company