ACA Seal Team Joined by Quality Assurance Expert
Peter Kojo Nyarko joined the ACA team on April 2, 2013, as the Seal Coordinator. He studied Biochemistry at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana. Prior to his appointment for this position, he worked with Nestle in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Cameroun in the quality assurance department. Peter speaks English and French fluently.
ACA: What led you to apply for the Seal position at ACA?
Peter Nyarko: The concept of the ACA helping Africans, especially Africans in rural areas where poverty is a problem, was very exciting. ACA’s work helps Africans to have some means of employment, by boosting the production of the cashew industry as a way of alleviating poverty in Africa. That motivation caught my ear. Food safety and quality alone have been something that I have liked working in for the past seven years, so doing something I like, for a cause such as the ACA’s, seemed like something very worthwhile.
ACA: How did you become interested in food safety?
PN: I worked at Nestle for the past 7 years, and my first position there was in the quality department. The work was in many different countries but always in the same field, looking at product quality and food safety. That’s where I’ve been all my professional life, so I grew a passion for it – it was something I developed out in the field and in the factories. Looking at the mission of the ACA with this passion in mind made this opportunity an interesting story.
What aspects of your position are you looking forward to most?
Because of my background, working mostly in the field, I’m looking forward to visits to the factory, to see what’s going on. My main job is to help coordinate seal activities, so I would like to be out in the factories and implementing the program.
What are you major goals for the Seal program for this year?
I would like to see the seal continue to gain traction on the ground. A certain level has been achieved in the standards and documentation, and now I think for me the next step is the second point of going out with the info and standards we have developed. I think my main energy and focus will be to take these standards into the factories.
How do you envision the development of the Seal program?
We are looking at 3 different phases, or seal action areas. The first is those that have already been approved. Secondly, those who are implementing. The third is processors that are not yet on board. For those who’ve already been seal approved, I want to work on a monitoring system for the standards. For those who are implementing, it’s important to be with them along the journey of implementation.
I’m very convinced that processing cashew is beneficial to local communities working around factories. With a new marketing approach, we want to bring everybody on board so hopefully by the end of next year we should have a broader base for the seal program.
