1.2. Justification and Significance of the study
According to (Kolavalli & Vigneri, 2018), Ghana‟s cocoa industry constitutes about 11.9 percent of the total agricultural value-added and remained the sole largest export-based crop, from which Ghana earns optimum foreign exchange. They noted further that, the 2011 records of the Bank of Ghana show that cocoa beans and processed cocoa export by the end of April 2011 closed at $8600 million as against $682.5 million for the 2010 cropping season. This records a significant 20% increase in export earn (8).
Although Ghana presently is the second leading world producer of cocoa, for six years (2012-2017), Ghana has not seen any significant increase in the productivity level of cocoa beans due to aging cocoa trees, disease and pest, and vagaries of the weather. This situation is worrying as it stands the chance of affecting the dream and stratagem of Ghana‟s cocoa sector. Research about the export competitiveness of Ghana‟s cocoa industry in West Africa is therefore not outplaced. Since the study holistically examines the country‟s cocoa sector especially production, and the export of cocoa, and also assesses the degree and properties of major variables which determine the size and worth of cocoa exports for the country.
Understanding the degree and properties of such variables aid in enhancing the variables that have significant positive impacts, and also draw the attention of the governing body of the cocoa sector, to the variables that work against the competitive urge of Ghana‟s cocoa industry and thus needs attention(15). Examining the export competitiveness of the cocoa industry will tell how competent and operative strategies regarding competitiveness have performed. More so, cocoa farmers, processors, exporters and the COCOBOD could rely on the findings of the study for planning purposes(15).
CHAPTER TWO (2) LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
Literature review is one of the highly prioritized components of an empirical research. This is mainly due to the fact that relevant literatures on a research problem enable researchers to place a research question and design in the context of previous works, and also offers theoretical bases upon which conclusions could be made based on the study findings. This section takes a look at previous studies on agricultural competitiveness especially cocoa. It also presents reviews of relevant literatures concerning the Cocoa industry in Ghana in particular and the World at large.
2.2 The Concept “Competitiveness”
Gare
