Mr. Patrick Deegbe is an entrepreneur and CEO of Wad African Foods Limited, Weija Ghana and Wad, Patrick Deegbe Pully Switzerland. Mr. Deegbe graduated with BSc. Agriculture (Crop Science major) in 1992 and MPhil. Crop Science in 1998 from the University of Ghana, Legon. He holds a postgraduate certificate in Environmental auditing 1999 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland. Patrick founded Weija Agriculture Development limited which later became Wad African Foods limited in the year 2000.  The idea to create his own company came to mind after attending a conference on associative enterprise in Geneva. He thought about how to bring small scale farmer products from Ghana to a high-end market like Switzerland. He formed a farmers group, Ekumfi Atwia Wad Organic Farmers Association (EAWOFA). He combined his experience and interest he had as the GAAS president of his year and the first coordinator for agriculture student for Ghana village concept project which was run by international students.  In 2001, he founded the Swiss company and started importing fresh sugarloaf pineapples from EAWOFA.  Other products were added thereafter from different locations in Ghana. In 2003, he started trials on adding value to the raw materials by processing them into dry fruits for export. The first of its kind in Ghana. The company obtained certification under EU organic rules in 2004. In the same year, he collaborated with the FAO of the UN as the responsible person in project in Ghana entitled: Increasing incomes and food security of small farmers in West and Central Africa through exports of organic and fair-trade tropical products. He also presented a paper at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva Switzerland at a workshop on Environment-related Private Standards, Certification and Labelling requirements in 2009. Wad African Foods limited is currently certified organic under the EU regulations EOS, under USA organic rules NOP and under the Japanese organic rules JAS. The company exports its products to Switzerland, Germany, Italy, USA and Japan. Mr. Patrick Deegbe has attended many international specialised trade fairs for the promotion of the company’s products in Switzerland, Germany, Korea, USA, and Japan.  He has been on buyers’ mission with the Swiss government program to Latin American countries. He loves to share his experience on being an entrepreneur starting from scratch and more specifically in the organic niche market.

Name: Mr. Patrick Deegbe

E-mail: wad@wadco.ch 

Year Graduated: Crop Science, 1992

Institutional Affiliation: Wad African Foods Limited

Theme of Presentation: Succeeding in the Global Organic Niche Market

Date of Presentation: 24/11/2021