DANIEL AMOSHIE COMBATING CHILD LABOUR IN THE COCOA SECTOR THROUGH TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION

by Elizabeth Chinenye Ejereonye - Ashesi University

Daniel, a senior Electrical Engineering major at Ashesi University in Ghana, doubled as a participant and presenter at the Ninth Annual Get Engaged Student Action and Youth Leadership Conference organized by OSUN and held from June 23-30 at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Before this, he exhibited resilience and initiative by founding projects like Inspy Farms, which employs an eco-friendly farming system, and, most recently, his cocoa project, a fully-functional machine for splitting cocoa shells He's also held club leadership positions, including president of Pentecost Students And Associates (PENSA - a religious student fellowship at Ashesi) and the Ashesi CAD club

How It All Began

Daniel is from the Upper East region of Ghana but has lived a part of his life in the Ashanti region, allowing him to experience a mix of rural and urban living He attends Ashesi University on a fully funded scholarship from the Jim Ovia Foundation He is also part of the Kufuor Scholarship program, designed to groom young outstanding Ghanaian students for leadership and professional development

While living in a rural village, Daniel witnessed the stress and danger involved in the cocoa podbreaking process Daniel recalls his dad not allowing him to be involved in the process as it required mastery to avoid getting hurt He also remembers that even for individuals with a high level of skill, the process was strenuous and timeconsuming, depending on the farm size or number of bags of cocoa with a Ghanaian company that fabricates Agritech machines for Ghana farmers to help bring his project to life. His work also earned him an invitation to present his research paper published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) at the 2022 ISTAfrica conference in South Africa, which due to covid, was held online. "Making an impact involves using your abilities and skills to recognize and solve problems regardless of the current resources at your disposal," says Daniel.

While living in a rural village, Daniel witnessed the stress and danger involved in the cocoa podbreaking process. Daniel recalls his dad not allowing him to be involved in the process as it required mastery to avoid getting hurt. He also remembers that even for individuals with a high level of skill, the process was strenuous and timeconsuming, depending on the farm size or number of bags of cocoa.

Besides having a personal experience that spurred him to take action, Daniel was also motivated by other social issues surrounding the cocoa business, particularly child labor. The facts are glaring. "In West Africa alone, about 2 million children are breaking the cocoa pods," said Daniel. In response to this, Daniel saw a gap that he believed he could fill. Through his engineering background, personal drive, and undaunting passion, he brought his project to life, even going as far as bootstrapping the initial stages of his project until he received a stipend from Ashesi and the help of OSUN.

Navigating Challenges And Attaining Success

Daniel, whose project started during the school year, has had to make many sacrifices. For instance, he had to find ways to strike a balance between his coursework and project. Additionally, getting funding to finance his project idea has also been quite a hassle. It has also been a critical challenge to receive his patent from the Ghanaian government. Despite all of these challenges, Daniel pushed beyond the barriers to achieve many successes for his project. Recently, he partnered

Daniel says there were two phases to his project: the technical part which involved building the machine) and the social part that involved conducting classes for students. Through support from the OSUN, the project has also received exposure. Daniel expects to leverage this network to grow his project to better heights and get more exposure. Daniel also hopes that the cocoa shedding process can become more efficient for the local farmers. As a result, he intends to sell the machines for an affordable rate.

Daniel's hard work and passion do not come as a surprise, as he believes everyone can make an impact by making the best use of the resources at their disposal, no matter how small This attitude has guided his leadership and personal projects so far Daniel's story, like many others, clearly indicates how dedication and personal sacrifice go a long way in allowing individuals to create lasting change while challenging the status quo, whether working individually or collectively It is not enough to identify a problem or need around you, but taking an active role in creating solutions that address that need, no matter how small, is what's most important