The Ghana National Association of Cocoa Farmers has criticized the ongoing financial struggles of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), stating that the institution’s continued losses are no longer justifiable.
The Association argues that COCOBOD should either be entirely restructured or placed directly under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to ensure better oversight.
Nana Yaa Asantewaa, the Public Relations Officer for the Association, suggested that if the board is not scrapped entirely, its workforce must be drastically reduced.
She proposed slashing the current staff by three-quarters, arguing that a lean team of competent professionals would yield better returns than the current overstaffed and “incompetent” administration.
During an interview on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Nana Yaa Asantewaa expressed her frustration with the board’s management:”I agree with those who have suggested that COCOBOD be either scrapped or restructured and put under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture two million times. For years, COCOBOD has recorded significant losses and yet they have not been held accountable. The workers at the Cocoa Board don’t farm; they don’t engage in any kind of harsh work. This is an institution where emeritus professors and well-educated personalities work, and yet they are always recording losses. This clearly shows that they lack good managerial skills.”
She further noted that even small-scale market traders manage their finances more effectively than the national board.
“I am not sure the women who sell nyaadua (garden eggs), cocoa farmers, or those who sell momoni (salted fermented fish) would record such huge losses as seen at COCOBOD. I am, therefore, proposing that the majority of the workers be made to go into cocoa farming or be sacked. We should release them to go and farm and experience the pain and difficulties we face as cocoa farmers. Their continuous stay at COCOBOD while recording losses is of no value to the country.”
Beyond the management of COCOBOD, the Association lamented the government’s failure to pay farmers on time. Asantewaa warned that these payment delays have led to an increase in criminal activities in farming communities, stressing the urgent need for the government to settle outstanding debts.
Credit: Rainbow Radio
