The ongoing political battle over the management of Ghana’s cocoa sector intensified on Thursday as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Randy Abbey, firmly rejected calls for his dismissal, asserting that the current challenges facing the industry were inherited from the previous administration.
Dr. Abbey’s robust defence comes in direct response to the Minority Caucus in Parliament, which earlier called on President John Mahama to immediately relieve him of his duties. The Minority, led by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Ranking Member on the Economy and Development Committee, argues that Dr. Abbey’s leadership has been detrimental to the interests of cocoa farmers.
“We Inherited a Crisis” – COCOBOD Boss
In an interview addressing the ongoing reforms within the sector, Dr. Abbey stated that the current difficulties are not of his making. He clarified that the financial model being utilized by his administration is not a novel creation of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government but a system they inherited.
“We inherited the financial model we are currently using. It is not a new system that this government has introduced,” Dr. Abbey explained. “We have to adopt a new system that is sustainable, and that is precisely what we are working on.”
He highlighted the precarious state of COCOBOD’s finances upon his assumption of office, specifically pointing to the collapse of the traditional syndicated loan arrangement, a critical facility for financing the country’s cocoa purchases.
Minority Threatens to Join Farmer Protests
The demand for Dr. Abbey’s removal was made earlier on Thursday by Mr. Oppong Nkrumah, who accused the COCOBOD boss of mismanagement. The Minority’s primary grievance is the recent reduction in the cocoa producer price, a move they believe unfairly burdens farmers.
“The NDC government should absorb the cost of their own actions and protect the cocoa farmer. They must restore the GHC 3,625 they promised. This GHC 2,800 they are now offering is unacceptable,” Oppong Nkrumah stated passionately.
He further warned of growing unrest in farming communities, alleging that plans for a protest were already underway. “We are already receiving messages from cocoa farmers who say that if this challenge continues, they are going to hit the streets. And if they do, we will join them,” he fumed.
A Sector Under Pressure
The exchange highlights the intense pressure on the new administration to stabilize the cocoa sector, which is grappling with falling prices on the global market and structural financial challenges. Dr. Abbey’s comments suggest that while the government acknowledges the hardship faced by farmers, it is constrained by the economic realities it inherited, necessitating difficult but necessary reforms for long-term sustainability.
The coming weeks are likely to see heightened political tension as the Minority’s threat to side with protesting farmers adds a new dimension to the dispute over the future of Ghana’s golden bean.
