Expert Details
Cocoa, Tropical Commodities, African Business, Plantations and Company Management
ID: 732641
Ghana
He has lived and worked for the last 45 years in Papua New Guinea (10) and West Africa (35 - Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and smaller cocoa producers such as Togo, Benin, Sierra Leone).
He has planted, grown, harvested, primary processed sourced, quality controlled and exported primary agricultural commodities, especially cocoa. As such, Expert is fully conversant with all aspects of these crops, including purchasing, logistics, warehousing, exporting and documentation, and has a renown reputation for interpersonal relationships with local suppliers and service providers.
Expert has started and managed companies in different countries for himself and multinationals, so is proficient in every aspect of company administration from start-up, through management, even to closing down. He is familiar with a wide variety of aspects of business.
Plantation Management
He was a plantation manager in rubber, coconuts and cocoa for nearly 10 years in Papua New Guinea, most times in very isolated areas where a high degree of initiative and pro-activity and a wide range of non-agricultural skills and personal interaction was required.
On one plantation, he introduced a change to work procedures that resulted in a doubling of production (which coincided with record cocoa prices).
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1968 | Degree: NCA | Subject: Agriculture | Institution: Lancashire College of Agriculture |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2001 to 2015 | Employer: | Title: Consultant | Department: |
Responsibilities:Expert has consulted for AATIF, A4D (EU), TechnoServe and others (as a self-employed consultant) in cocoa trading refinancing; coca quality assessment; commodity sourcing for European and American importers; shipping and logistics quality control; and plantation establishment. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2004 to 2008 | Employer: | Title: Manager: Commodity Sourcing | Department: |
Responsibilities:Expert handled commodity sourcing and cocoa sourcing for clients including Ladgroup Limited, Noble Resources and others. Responsibilities included general management for cocoa and cashew sourcing; sourcing, logistics and shipments quality control; HR management; and warehousing systems. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1998 to 2003 | Employer: | Title: Managing Director | Department: |
Responsibilities:As founder and owner of this registered cocoa waste export company, Expert established a cocoa waste-buying operation from farm to port. He set up procurement and personnel procedures; administered purchasing, logistics, warehousing and exports; and controlled export quality, shipments and destination inspections. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1987 to 1998 | Employer: Self-employed | Title: Sub-contractor | Department: |
Responsibilities:In Ghana, Expert served as a cocoa consultant to European and American cocoa dealers, traders, processors and manufacturers. He also was a subcontractor to General Electric / Savigliano SpA for Phase1 of the Volta River Authority’s Akosombo generating station retrofit, based in Accra. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1983 to 1987 | Employer: ACLI, Ltd. / Cargill, Inc. | Title: | Department: |
Responsibilities:He was the point-of-contact for Cargill in Nigeria following 1986 commodity board liberalization, included linking Cargill to suppliers -- notably Nigerian Oil Mills Ltd.Expert set up Cargill Cocoa Forecasting Programmes in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Brazil |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1978 to 1983 | Employer: Cadbury Limited | Title: | Department: |
Responsibilities:Expert forecasted crops for this UK-based company in Ghana and Nigeria. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1969 to 1978 | Employer: | Title: Plantation Manager | Department: |
Responsibilities:Expert was a plantation manager for products including rubber, copra and cocoa. |
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International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: 1969 to 1978 | Country / Region: Papua New Guinea | Summary: Plantation management |
| Years: 1969 to 1978 | Country / Region: La Cote d'Ivoire | Summary: Cocoa forecasting, consultancy |
| Years: 1969 to 1978 | Country / Region: Ghana | Summary: Cocoa consultancy, |
| Years: 1969 to 1978 | Country / Region: Ghana | Summary: Owner cocoa waste exporting company (TBRC) |
| Years: 1969 to 1978 | Country / Region: Nigeria | Summary: Founder/manager of Multi-national company's buying office, cocoa consultancy, cocoa broker |
| Years: 1969 to 1978 | Country / Region: Sierra Leone | Summary: Retained by financier to monitor cocoa, coffee, cashew invesment |
Language Skills
| Language | Proficiency |
|---|---|
| Engish | Native |
| French | Business level |
| Motu | Intermediate (rusty) |