The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has inaugurated an eleven (11) member Board of Directors of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and tasked the new members to continue to work hard to consolidate the enormous success chalked by the previous Board.
The eleven-member Board is chaired by a renowned Businessman, Mr. Peter Mac Manu.
Inaugurating the Board, Dr. Afriyie Akoto recounted how the coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic has affected every aspect of the world’s economic trade with the cocoa industry having its fair share, stating that despite these challenges, the Board put in place various Productivity Enhancement Programmes (PEPs) and successfully achieved its production target for the 2020/2021 crop year.
“The 2020/2021 crop year production is a turnaround in the country as it brings hope to cocoa farmers”. Great efforts were put in to attain this feat which is mainly as a result of our extensive agronomic practices and initiatives such as, rehabilitation, hand pollination among others”, he added.
Hon. Afriyie Akoto urged the new Board of Directors to advance policies and programmes to improve upon the Board’s relationship with Licensed Buying Company (LBCs) to facilitate effective internal purchases of cocoa in the country.
“Financing LBCs to purchase Cocoa Beans is an area that needs to be looked at immediately to reduce constant complaints from farmers”, he stressed.
According to him, the Cote D’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative which was climaxed with the signing of the headquarters agreement in Accra a couple of days ago is a major step towards the implementation of the Living Income Differential (LID) and implored on the Board to work closely with the Secretariat for the initiative to advance policies to improve upon the incomes of cocoa farmers.
He assured the Board that his doors are always opened for discussions for the betterment of the cocoa industry.
In his acceptance statement, the Board Chairman, Mr. Peter Mac Manu was grateful for the opportunity and the confidence reposed in him to serve the country and the Cocoa Industry. He also lauded the previous Board for rolling out programmes which significantly contributed to the successes chalked in the 2020/2021 cocoa season.
“The policies administered by my predecessor have contributed positively to farmer’s Production and Income which is of key interest to this administration, and I am looking forward to building on it”, he emphasized.
“I want to maintain the current production in the country, and I believe with the help of such a strong team with much experience in the industry, we will increase it” he added.
The members of the new Board of Directors are the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Hon Joseph Boahen Aidoo, and five other members from the immediate past Board of Directors.
They include Dr. Ernest Addison, Governor of the Bank of Ghana; Mr. Charles Adu Boahen, Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance; Madam Nana Adwoa Dokua, a Businesswoman; Nana Johnson Mensah, a Cocoa Farmer and Nana Obeng Akrofi, also a Cocoa Farmer. The rest are Hon. Herbert Krapa, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry; Hon. Yaw Frimpong Addo, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture; Hon. Kwadjo Asante, the Member of Parliament for the Suhum Constituency and Mr. Edward Okoh Ampofo; COCOBOD Workers Representative
