Four people have been put before the Dansoman Circuit Court for allegedly illegally transporting cocoa beans worth more than GH¢1,000, 000.
Kofi Boateng, a driver; Seth Kwabena Baffour, a driver’s assistant; Joseph Yakubu, a driver and Amonsah Paul, a driver’s assistant are said to have concealed the 350 bags of cocoa beans in a cargo truck and loaded plantain on top of them.
They have pleaded not guilty to three counts of transporting cocoa beans from Tepa to Accra without authority at the court presided over by Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit.
Their pleas were taken on Wednesday [June 4, 2025].
Boateng has been admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢500,000 with three sureties one to be justified with two of the sureties being public servants earning not less than GH¢2,000.
Baffour has also been admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢650,000 with three sureties one to be justified with two of the sureties being public servants earning not less than GH¢2,000.
Yakubu and Amonsah on the other hand have been admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with three sureties with two being public servants. One of the sureties must provide justification.
The accused persons are to deposit their Ghana cards at the court registry.
Prosecution’s facts
Per the facts of the case, the complainant, Patrick Ocansey is a Principal Service Officer of Ghana Cocoabod while Boateng is a driver in charge of cargo truck with registration number GN 8967- 17.
Baffour, is the driver in charge of the cargo truck with registration number AS 4066-21, which was also loaded with 198 bags of cocoa beans. Yakubu and Paul are both driver’s assistants.
On May 30, 2025 at about 8:30 am, the complainant had intel that the above-mentioned trucks which were loaded with cocoa beans were packed at the Dome market.
“Complainant with a team of Police men, proceeded to the scene and arrested the accused persons and brought them to the Accra Central Police station. Investigations revealed that the accused persons loaded the cocoa beans from Tepa in the Brong Ahafo Region to be sent to Ashaiman in Greater Accra.
“Accused persons knowing very well that they cannot transport cocoa beans without the authority of Cocobod, and for the fear of being arrested by the Police, loaded plantain to cover the cocoa beans,” Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder told the court.
He added that when the accused persons got to the Dome market, they offloaded all the plantain, leaving the cocoa beans, hence their arrest.
“During interrogation the accused persons in their caution statements told police that the goods belonged to one Kwame but could not lead police to his arrest.”
He told the court that after investigations, the accused persons were charged with the offences stated on the charge sheet and arraigned before the court.
The much-anticipated biggest agribusiness expo in Ghana, Ghana Horticulture Expo 2025 is a transformative agribusiness platform designed to innovate, empower, and sustain youth and women-led businesses across the country.
The Expo scheduled to take place from June 11 to 13, 2025, at the Accra International Conference Center is positioned to serve as a springboard for young entrepreneurs, especially women, who are eager to explore opportunities in Ghana’s horticultural and broader agribusiness sectors.
In an exclusive interview with Agric Today Media, Daniel Amoako Antwi, Executive Director of Africa Skills Hub, a partner to the Expo, shed light on the overarching goals of the Expo. FAGE, under the leadership of Davies Narh Korboe (President) is a huge umbrella of exporters constituting Ghanaian agribusinesses with great skills of industrial players who serve as mentors to the youth and women aimed to venture into the agribusiness.
He mentioned that the Expo is geared towards bridging communication, and the B2B gap, linking the young agribusiness enthusiasts to their respective mentors. “This is to ensure that a lot of youth and women led agribusinesses have been matched with mentors from FAGE to help with guidance and directions”.
Linking the activities of ASH to the Expo, the Executive Director said ASH is an enterprise support organization dedicated to creating economies and skills-based opportunities for Africa’s youth and women. The Expo organized by FAGE in collaboration with the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) presents a powerful platform that aligns with this mission, offering the exposure and resources needed for young people and women to thrive. Assuring Africa Skills Hub’s meaningful contribution to the Expo, he noted that the Hub has initiated a robust programme designed to spark interest in agribusiness among youth, women, and persons with disabilities, fostering inclusive economic empowerment for all.
Mr. Antwi emphasized that the Agribusiness Youth Clinic will not only provide knowledge but also create meaningful links. “We want to ensure that a lot of these youth and women-led businesses are matched with mentors from FAGE (Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters). These mentors will provide both guidance and direction, establishing an apprenticeship-style mentor-mentee relationship that have the potential to endure long after the Expo concludes.”
Mr. Antwi reiterated the objective of the AgriBiz Youth Clinic: to serve as a platform where innovation meets opportunity. It aims to expose young people to immense value within the horticultural value chain, spark entrepreneurial drive, and equip them with the tools and networks they need to succeed.
To Mr. Antwi, one of the key components of the organization is follow-up support that would be ensured after the expo. “We will make sure we follow up with these young entrepreneurs to ensure they are connected to the necessary resources and support systems. This could be in the form of funding opportunities, business development services, or capacity-building programs,” he noted.
The three-day expo is not only about education and mentorship. It is also about mindset transformation. Mr. Antwi said that they seek to inspire a perception change among youth and women, especially those who previously had little or no interest in horticulture and agriculture as a whole.
“We want to see a fair, an expo that provides enormous opportunities, especially for youth and women,” he affirmed. “It’s about seeing women-led businesses and young entrepreneurs not just participate but thrive in the agribusiness landscape.” He said.
“We expect to ensure we have a number of youth and women-led businesses who would have come to the clinic, received consultation, and are thriving,” he stated.
About Africa Skills Hub (ASH) Africa Skills Hub Foundation (ASH), a Ghana-based enterprise support organization, is making waves across the continent by equipping Africa’s youth and women with the tools they need to thrive in today’s economy. Since 2016, ASH has provided life-changing training in entrepreneurship, agribusiness, digital innovation, and climate-smart practices, while supporting thousands of SMEs and women-led businesses with access to capital and markets.
Beyond skills development, ASH offers comprehensive aftercare services- from financial and legal advisory to market access and IP support. The organization also manages a unique fund focused on green, digital, and agricultural businesses, targeting women and youth-led ventures.
ASH collaborates with multilateral institutions, the private sector, youth agencies, and development partners to deliver high-impact, evidence-based solutions that drive sustainable change. Through innovation, inclusion, and strategic partnerships, Africa Skills Hub is shaping the future of work and enterprise in Africa.
Some Ghanaian cocoa farmers are renewing calls for the government to guarantee at least 70% of cocoa’s Free-On-Board (FOB) price as payment to local producers—arguing that anything less continues to undervalue their contribution to the global cocoa supply chain.
The fresh appeal comes on the heels of a promise by President John Dramani Mahama, who, during a Thank You tour in the Ahafo Region on Saturday, announced that a new and significantly improved cocoa producer price will be announced in August 2025.
In an interview with Citi Business News, the President of the Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association, Stephenson Anane Boateng, said that while the upcoming announcement is welcome, farmers remain cautious.
“Cocoa farmers, we are also Ghanaians, and the work we do also has an impact on the country’s economy. The constitution states it clearly that the FOB price should be considered 70 percent for farmers, so why do successive governments come out with their own projections or proposals?” he said.
Ghana is the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, and the price farmers receive is a critical determinant of rural livelihoods and long-term investment in cocoa farms.
He also urged the government to tread carefully in pursuing large-scale commercial cocoa farming initiatives that lack well-defined long-term strategies. According to him, such ventures risk crowding out smallholder farmers and may not deliver the intended benefits if not properly aligned with the broader goals of the cocoa sector.
“I don’t see the essence of government proposing for commercial cocoa farms. This is because our first leader Dr. Kwame Nkrumah established a lot of factories and State Farms where are they now,” he quizzed.
The previous NPP administration, in November 2024, increased the producer price of cocoa from GH₵48,000 to GH₵49,600 per tonne—translating to a rise in the price per 64kg bag from GH₵3,000 to GH₵3,100.
The Director of the Presidential Initiative in Agriculture and Agribusiness at the Office of the President of Ghana, Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, has called for stronger sub-regional integration as a critical requirement for unlocking Africa’s agricultural potential
Speaking at the EU-Africa Chamber of Commerce’s flagship event on Financing Agribusiness in Africa held at the Parc des Expositions in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Dr. Otokunor bemoaned the fragmented regulatory environment that continues to inhibit intra-African trade, particularly in the agricultural sector
“Agriculture in Africa cannot thrive without a robust sub-regional integration framework. We speak of Africa as one bloc, yet the reality is that we are divided by borders, bureaucracy, and policies that stifle collaboration,” he stated
He recounted his personal experience of traveling by road from Ghana to Côte d’Ivoire for the event, describing the lengthy delays he encountered at the border.
“I spent over four hours at the border. If a government official has to endure such hurdles, how do we expect our farmers and agribusinesses to trade efficiently across borders, yet we have the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which aims to create a single market for goods and services across the continent,” he revealed
He emphasized the need for policymakers to rethink trade policies and create more enabling environments for agricultural trade
“We must design instruments that facilitate the formation of cooperatives and cross-border partnerships. Without that, we will keep discussing agriculture as potential, never as impact within our beloved continent,” he said
The event witnessed a host of high-profile industry leaders, government officials, CEOs, and development partners. Prominent attendees included Mr. Inza Camara, Consul General of Côte d’Ivoire in New York and Delegate for Economic Promotion in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; Dr. Fumilayo H. Makanjuola of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); Mr. Joseph Nyemah, FAO Representative in Côte d’Ivoire; and Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), among others
The President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama says Ghana is on track to match or surpass Côte d’Ivoire’s benchmark of processing 50 per cent of its cocoa locally within the next four to five years.
President Mahama pointed to Ghana’s progress in domestic cocoa processing while highlighting structural trade obstacles that continue to hinder African economies.
“The world economic order is rigged against Africa,” President Mahama said, adding that although the continent is capable of scaling up value addition, non-tariff barriers make exporting finished products difficult for local businesses.
He said this at a presidential session during the 60th Annual Meeting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the 51st Annual Meeting of the African Development Fund (ADF) in Abidjan.
“Unless they bring a processor from outside—from Europe—who comes and sets up a processing plant and gets all the regulatory things in place, an indigenous person setting up a processing plant sometimes has big difficulty in exporting finished products into the EU market and into the American market,” he explained.
Despite these hurdles, the President noted that Ghana has significantly improved its cocoa processing capacity over the years.
“From a low of about 25% processed cocoa, Ghana has risen to about 40%,” he stated.
“Côte d’Ivoire is ahead of us. They have done 50%, which is commendable. We hope that over the next four to five years, we will reach the stage of Côte d’Ivoire at 50% and push even further.”
Once a vibrant pillar of national economic development, Ghana’s poultry sector now stands at a crossroads. In the 1960s and 70s,
Ghana proudly met its domestic poultry demand, even exporting processed chicken meat and day-old chicks (DOCs) to neighbouring countries.
The industry supported tens of thousands of livelihoods and contributed to national food security and GDP growth. Fast forward to 2025, however, and the picture is disheartening.
Today, local production meets less than 10% of Ghana’s poultry consumption, with about 400,000 metric tons of chicken imported annually—mostly from the EU, Brazil, and the USA. This massive import dependency not only threatens local agribusinesses but also exposes the nation to serious food security vulnerabilities.
How did we get here?
1. Trade liberalisation without protection
The liberalisation of Ghana’s trade regime in the 1980s and 90s opened the floodgates to subsidised poultry imports from industrialised nations.
With no safeguards in place, local producers—already battling high production costs—were edged out of their own market.
2. Rising cost of feed and inputs
Feed constitutes about 70% of the cost of poultry production. Local feed prices, driven by high costs of maize and soya, remain uncompetitive. Compounding this are poor input financing systems and lack of forward contracts between farmers and suppliers, making the value chain vulnerable to price shocks.
3. Weak hatchery and breeding systems
Most hatcheries operate far below capacity. Ghana lacks a national breeder program to produce fertilized eggs, relying heavily on expensive imports.
Local DOCs are often of inconsistent quality, leading to poor flock performance and higher mortality rates.
4. Fragmented value chain and infrastructure gaps
From inadequate abattoirs and cold storage to inefficient logistics, the poultry value chain in Ghana remains underdeveloped.
The absence of cohesive linkages between producers, processors, marketers, and regulators reduces productivity and limits competitiveness.
5. Policy gaps and poor coordination
Government interventions, though well-intentioned, are often fragmented, inconsistent, and politically motivated.
There is no long-term, coordinated national strategy for poultry development. Policies are reactive rather than strategic.
6. Fragmented farmer associations: The silent killer of Ghana’s poultry ambitions
One of the most crippling yet under-acknowledged challenges facing Ghana’s poultry sector is the fragmented nature of farmer associations and the near-absence of coordinated value chain collaboration.
This disunity weakens advocacy, limits access to affordable financing, and deprives the sector of the bargaining power needed to influence national policy.
Without strong, united cooperatives or apex bodies, poultry farmers and farmers in general, struggle to secure inputs, access training, enforce quality standards, or pool resources for shared infrastructure like hatcheries and processing plants.
Even more damaging is the unhealthy rivalry, finger-pointing, and isolated efforts that undermine collective progress.
Rather than pulling together for sector-wide transformation, actors often prioritize short-term individual gains over long-term collective prosperity. This attitude is self-defeating.
Reviving the poultry industry will require more than just money—it demands unity, vision, and the willingness of industry players to sacrifice short-term personal gains for long-term sectoral growth.
Strong associations can lead the charge toward joint investment, self-regulation, and robust policy influence. Ghana’s poultry sector can rise again, but only if its farmers learn to act not just as competitors—but as collaborators in a shared future.
7. Dumping of imports
Exporters from the EU, USA and Brazil benefit from agricultural subsidies and offload surplus by-products, chicken parts—mainly back, thigh, wings, etc—into Ghana at prices well below production cost. This constitutes economic dumping and threatens the survival of local producers.
Can you believe Ghana has started importing frozen Chicken from China?
A new vision for poultry in Ghana
1. Creating a competitive local ecosystem
• Feed production and input financing: Invest in local feed production, expand soya and maize cultivation, and promote input financing schemes tailored for smallholder producers. • Establish a national breeding programme:Develop a viable national breeding farm to supply fertilized eggs to hatcheries, reducing dependence on expensive imports. • Strengthen hatcheries and brooding systems: Certify and upgrade hatcheries; train farmers in biosecurity, brooding, and flock management to reduce mortality and improve productivity. • Processing and cold chain infrastructure: Support the establishment of certified abattoirs and cold storage facilities through PPPs. Improve packaging, branding, and certification to meet consumer expectations. • Skills development and innovation: Build national training programs in poultry management, veterinary services, and agribusiness. Integrate ICT tools for farm management, disease surveillance, and market linkage.
2. Adopting a strategic managed trade policy
• Import controls and tariff adjustments: Implement phased restrictions on imports while supporting local capacity development. Introduce tariffs where necessary to discourage dumping. • Enforce quality standards: Strengthen food safety, traceability, and labeling laws for imported poultry. • Public Procurement for Local Chicken: Mandate public institutions—schools, prisons, hospitals, and military— to procure only locally produced poultry products. • Establish a poultry sector coordination council: Bring together stakeholders from government, industry, academia, and donor agencies to develop a long-term poultry sector master plan.
3. Financing the poultry transformation
• Blended Finance Mechanisms: Utilise partial risk guarantees, concessional loans, and matching grants to crowd-in private investment into poultry production and processing. • De-Risking Investment: Partner with banks, rural financial institutions, and development finance institutions (DFIs) to offer tailored financial products for poultry value chain actors.
4. Branding, marketing, and consumer awareness
• “Eat Ghana Chicken” campaign: Launch a nationwide branding and awareness campaign that promotes locally raised chicken based on taste, nutrition, and job creation. • Modern market access: Support producer cooperatives and SMEs to access modern retail channels and institutional markets.
5. Empowering women and youth
• Entrepreneurship support: Design specific support programs for youth and women in poultry agribusiness—covering feed production, hatcheries, vet services, processing, and distribution. • Access to land and finance: Work with local authorities and financial institutions to ensure equitable access to land, capital, and inputs for youth and women entrepreneurs.
Call to Action
Ghana’s poultry sector does not need more short-term political promises or piecemeal interventions. It needs bold, consistent, and coordinated action. With more than 76% of Ghanaians expressing a preference for local chicken, the market opportunity is evident.
It is time for the government, private sector, development partners, and financial institutions to rally behind a national poultry development agenda. By reducing import dependency, boosting local production, and creating sustainable jobs, Ghana can reclaim its rightful place as a poultry powerhouse in the sub-region.
Conclusion
The decline of Ghana’s poultry sector is not irreversible. Through bold leadership, strategic investments, and fair-trade policy, we can transform the sector into a vibrant engine of economic growth, youth employment, and food sovereignty.
Let us feed Ghana with Ghanaian chicken—nutritious, proudly local, and economically empowering.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Randy Abbey has revealed how syndicated loan delays and poor financial planning plunged Ghana’s cocoa sector into a historic crisis, resulting in an estimated loss of $840 million.
Speaking on Hot Issues with Keminni Amanor, as monitored by MyNewsGH, Abbey explained that COCOBOD’s financial missteps during the 2023/2024 season not only weakened the industry’s performance but also severely undercut the earnings of cocoa farmers across the country.
According to Abbey, COCOBOD entered the 2023/2024 cocoa season by seeking a syndicated loan using a conservative pricing benchmark of $2,600 per ton, despite ongoing market volatility and liquidity challeneges.
However, the real crisis emerged when the funds arrived in December 2023—three months after the official opening of the cocoa season.
“Licensed Buying Companies couldn’t get seed funds to buy cocoa for almost four months. This has never happened in COCOBOD’s history,’’ Abbey stated with alarm.
The delay in financing had a cascading effect. COCOBOD, having already committed to deliver over 333,000 tons of cocoa, was unable to fulfill those contracts, leading to a rollover into the 2024/2025 season.
As global cocoa prices soared to $6,600 per ton, Ghana found itself servicing prior contracts at a $4,000 loss per ton.
“For every ton we used to service the rollover, we lost $4,000. As of April 2025, we had serviced 210,000 tons. That’s a loss of $840 million,” Abbey disclosed.
This massive shortfall, he explained, is a key reason the government could not significantly increase the cocoa producer price, despite mounting political and economic pressure.
“They increased it to GH€3,100 just three weeks before the election, but that’s less than 50% of the world price,” he added.
The situation remains precarious. Abbey warned that Ghana is still rolling over another 120,000 tons into the 2025/2026 season, and while the president has expressed a desire to improve farmer incomes, broader economic instability—particularly the recent challenges facing the cedi—complicates any effort to adjust prices upward.
“This is not just about mismanagement,” Abbey said. “It’s about the collapse of confidence in the institutions that are supposed to protect our farmers and our Economy.”
The Honourable Emelia Arthur, Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, delivered a compelling address this week at the High-Level Forum of Atlantic African Nations, calling for a united approach to maritime governance, scientific collaboration, and sustainable development across the Atlantic seaboard.
Speaking to an esteemed gathering of ministers, experts, and stakeholders, Minister Arthur expressed her deep gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco for hosting the forum and commended Morocco’s leadership in fostering regional cooperation.
“Our Atlantic domain presents both immense opportunities and tremendous challenges,” Minister Arthur stated.
“We must work together, across borders and sectors, to turn our shared waters into engines of sustainable development, security, and prosperity”, she added.
She underscored the importance of collaborative maritime governance, highlighting how oceans and seas support trade, fisheries, tourism, and untapped marine resources, while warning of threats such as illegal fishing, pollution, and weak institutional frameworks.
“Without better shared-knowledge-based governance,” she cautioned, “we will struggle to make the Atlantic a true driver of growth and resilience.”
Key themes from her speech included:
Strengthening institutional capacity to enforce maritime laws Combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing
Enhancing marine science and data-sharing across nations Investing in ocean observation technologies and research Building sustainable blue economy initiatives that benefit local communities
Minister Arthur emphasized that building marine knowledge is vital to informed decision-making, urging greater investment in scientific research and regional data-sharing platforms.
“Understanding the ocean is the foundation of protecting it,” she said, adding that training, technology, and local community engagement are critical to achieving this goal.
In her closing remarks, she issued a strong call to action: Prioritise maritime governance at the highest political levels Invest in scientific infrastructure and innovation Strengthen partnerships and harmonize regional policies Build local and national capacity for long-term resilience.
“Together, we can unlock the Atlantic’s full potential—not just for our nations, but for the benefit of humanity,” Minister Arthur concluded. “Let us be the generation that preserves its richness for those who come after us.”
The Cooperative Executive Management Team (CEMT) proudly announces the 6th Annual HEMPTECH (Hemp Education, Markets, Processing and Technology for Economic and Cultural Harmonization) Conference, returning to Ghana as the longest-running hemp-focused event on the African continent.
Launched in 2020 by the CEMT—a farm management services company established in the state of Georgia, USA, in 2019 focused on black farmers first—HEMPTECH has consistently set the pace for policy, research, and development around industrial hemp in Africa.
Since 2019, the Cooperative Executive Management Team has been at the forefront of advocating for hemp legislation and policy development in Ghana.
Now, in 2025, with growing partnerships across the ECOWAS region, the HEMPTECH conference is expanding its reach and strategic objectives.
This year’s focus is firmly on manufacturing and processing sector implementation, areas where countries like South Africa, Malawi, and Botswana have stalled despite legislation.
In contrast, Uganda has now joined the list of countries with progressive legislation, and Nigeria is emerging as a new target for expansion—not just for HEMPTECH, but also for the One Hectare Sustainable Farm Project, a revolutionary initiative bringing live-work-play agricultural models to rural and urban communities.
This initiative is being powered through the AIE (Advocacy, Implementation, and Education) Project and backed by a 20-member Consortium of Black Experts, formalized at the third HEMPTECH conference in 2022.
This expert consortium was instrumental in drafting the international government hemp tender released by the Government of Rwanda, demonstrating the power of international diaspora-led collaboration.
The momentum continues as government-to-government conversations are now underway with Grenada and Bermuda, signaling Caribbean interest in both the HEMPTECH model and the One Hectare Sustainable Farm Project.
As the first hemp research farm in West African history prepares to be licensed in Ghana later this year, the CEMT is continuing its negotiations with Ghana’s Ministry of Interior to finalize details.
These milestones and more have been documented throughout the HEMPTECH journey and are available for public viewing on the Cooperative Executive Management Team YouTube Channel.
The 6th HEMPTECH conference will also spotlight international investment, education, and global trade. With the recent $75 million funding initiative by the USDA aimed at increasing hemp education and supply chain collaborations, HEMPTECH is positioned to connect U.S. Hemp farmers with African processors to create value-added products for global markets.
The conference offers a strategic opportunity for businesses, governments, and institutions to network, invest, and shape the future of the green economy through hemp.
Tickets for the 6th Annual HEMPTECH Conference are available now at www.coopexecutives.com.
For sponsorship opportunities or media inquiries, please contact us directly at +233-245-748797.Join the hemp revolution led by the Cooperative Executive Management Team. Africa is ready. The time is now.
An 11-member Board of Directors for the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has been officially inaugurated at a brief but significant ceremony at the Ministry of Finance, with a strong call to urgently reverse the fortunes of the ailing cocoa sector.
The new board is chaired by Dr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and includes key figures such as the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson; Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Asiama; Chief Executive Randy Abbey; Alhaji Alhassan Kobina Ghansah; Vincent Oppong Asamoah; Deputy Minister for Trade, Samson Ahi; Deputy Minister for Agriculture, John Dumelo; Alhaji Alhassan Bukari; Nana Charles Owusu and Eric Turkson.
The inauguration was chaired by Energy Minister John Jinapor, who also serves as the Alternate Minister for Finance. In his remarks, Hon. Jinapor congratulated the new board members but expressed grave concern over the current state of COCOBOD.
He noted that while the institution was once a shining symbol of Ghana’s economic strength, recent years have seen a worrying decline. He noted that crop production, which previously peaked at 1 million metric tonnes, has slumped to about 500,000 metric tonnes.
However, Mr. Jinapor expressed confidence in the calibre of the newly constituted board, stating that he was convinced they possessed the expertise and integrity to restore COCOBOD’s lost glory.
On his part, the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to serve on the board once again, having previously been a member in his capacity as Deputy Finance Minister.
He explained that the new law governing COCOBOD mandates the inclusion of both the Finance Minister and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana on its board.
Dr. Forson underscored the enduring importance of cocoa to Ghana’s economy, describing it as the “jewel of the economy,” and lamented the massive mismanagement of COCOBOD in recent years.
He outlined plans by government to introduce plantation farms by acquiring about 200 hectares of cocoa land, aiming to restore production levels to 1 million metric tonnes.
The Finance Minister further tasked the board to decisively address the issue of diseased cocoa farms, especially in the Western Region, which continues to hamper productivity. He assured COCOBOD of the full support of the Finance Ministry in all its endeavours.
Newly sworn-in Board Chairman, Dr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, expressed his appreciation to the President for the confidence reposed in the board. He described their appointment as both an honour and a call to duty, pledging on behalf of the members to lead a transformational agenda for the cocoa sector.
Dr. Ofosu Ampofo promised to “reset, retool, and reimagine” COCOBOD to restore it as a pivotal institution in Ghana’s economy.
He urged members of the political class to lead by example by actively engaging in farming to inspire the youth.
