Former Head of Public Affairs at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Fiifi Boafo, has renewed his criticism of the institution after management dismissed his earlier claims that more than 10 directors had been sidelined and left idle while still receiving full salaries.
COCOBOD, in a statement on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, denied the allegations, insisting that no director had been asked to “stay home” and that those affected had only been reassigned.
But in a fresh statement, Mr. Boafo described COCOBOD’s response as “cosmetic” and failing to address the substantive issues.
According to him, several directors, each with over 20 years of experience, have been stripped of their substantive positions and reassigned to what he described as “non-existent roles” within the COCOBOD structure. He argued that while these directors continue to draw salaries, they have no clearly defined responsibilities, a situation he says undermines the Board’s claims of efficiency and effectiveness.
“Management is wasting the experience and expertise of professionals who have dedicated over two decades each to public service. By sidelining them, COCOBOD is hollowing out its own institutional memory at a time when it needs it most,” Mr. Boafo said.
He further dismissed COCOBOD’s justification of “transfers and reassignments” as “a sham,” insisting that management has failed to provide clarity on the new reporting lines, facilities, or responsibilities attached to these supposed roles.
Mr. Boafo also expressed concern over the financial implications, noting that millions of cedis have been spent on transfer grants despite COCOBOD’s complaints about staff remuneration and financial constraints.
“At a time when COCOBOD is complaining about high staff remuneration and financial strain, it is reckless to create artificial positions that add no value. Our hardworking Farmers are already frustrated by unfulfilled promises including the fictitious GHS 6,000 per bag price and this mismanagement only deepens the sense of betrayal.”
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He stressed that the sidelining of senior directors amounted to creating “ghost positions” that render highly qualified professionals idle and unproductive, while taxpayers continue to foot the bill.
“The undeniable fact remains that several highly qualified and experienced professionals have had their roles usurped, forced into ghost positions that make them idle, unproductive, and invisible in the system yet they continue to draw salaries. This is not efficiency. It is mismanagement, pure and simple.”
By: Starrfm.com.gh/Tutuwaa Danso
