Cocoa Politics and Fiscal Reality: Did COCOBOD Gamble Away Farmers’ Money? | Matters Arising

Описание: The Majority Leader’s declaration that the government will not reinstate the previous cocoa producer price has ignited a fierce national debate about policy choices, fiscal pressure, and the future of Ghana’s most strategic export.

With cocoa remaining a backbone of the agricultural sector, stakeholders say the time has come for a deeper, more honest conversation about sustainability and reform.

Dr Kwabena Bomfeh, Lecturer at UPSA and CEO of CenCES, argues that Ghana must have a comprehensive discussion about the cocoa sector and its real contribution to the economy. According to him, policy direction under the current administration is not fundamentally different from what was done during the era of Nana Akufo-Addo. He believes implementation, not rhetoric, will ultimately define success.

Wonder Madilo maintains that technically, the government does not deal directly with farmers, pointing instead to structural inefficiencies and financial overruns within COCOBOD. He reveals that the Board has more than 18,000 workers on its payroll and suggests that replacing the traditional syndicated loan system with cocoa bonds could be part of the financial reset.

On the other hand, Kofi Tonto, political aide to Mahamudu Bawumia, blames the current management’s trading decisions for the crisis. He insists the challenges are not rooted in institutional structure alone, but in what he describes as poor and speculative decisions, including holding onto cocoa beans in anticipation of higher prices.

Lom Nuku Ahlijah believes the funding reform model itself deserves reconsideration. He argues that Ghana must rethink the entire cocoa financing architecture, embrace innovation, and prioritize value addition instead of focusing solely on revenue inflows.

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