An eleven-member Board of Directors for the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has been officially inaugurated with a mandate to reverse the steep decline in Ghana’s cocoa production and restore the sector’s economic relevance.
The board, chaired by Dr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, includes several high-profile personalities such as: the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson; Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Asiama; COCOBOD CEO, Dr. 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, held at the Ministry of Finance, was chaired by Energy Minister John Jinapor, who doubles as the Alternate Minister for Finance. He congratulated the new board but expressed grave concern about COCOBOD’s current state.
“The institution was once a shining symbol of Ghana’s economic strength,” he said.
“But production, which peaked at 1 million metric tonnes, has dropped to about 500,000 tonnes.”
Mr. Jinapor, however, expressed optimism in the new board’s ability to turn things around.
Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson—a returning member of the board by virtue of his role—reiterated the importance of cocoa to Ghana’s economy and described recent management failures “massive.”
He revealed plans to launch government-led cocoa plantations, starting with 200,000 hectares of acquired land to boost national output and address inefficiencies.
Dr. Forson tasked the board to urgently tackle the issue of diseased cocoa farms, particularly in the Western Region, and pledged full support from the Finance Ministry.
In his acceptance remarks, Dr. Ofosu Ampofo thanked President John Dramani Mahama for the appointment and pledged a transformational agenda to bring COCOBOD back to its former glory.
“We will reset, retool, and reimagine COCOBOD,” he said.
“This is both an honour and a call to national duty.”
He also called on the political class to lead by example by engaging in farming themselves, to inspire the youth and revive interest in agriculture.
