An 11-member Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) leadership team, chaired by Dr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, was inaugurated at the Ministry of Finance on May 17, 2025, amid urgent calls to address declining cocoa production and institutional mismanagement.
The board includes Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, Bank of Ghana Governor Dr. Johnson Asiama, and COCOBOD CEO Randy Abbey, alongside industry and government representatives.
Energy Minister John Jinapor, presiding over the ceremony, highlighted the sector’s stark decline: cocoa production has halved from a peak of 1 million metric tonnes to 500,000 metric tonnes. “COCOBOD was once a symbol of economic strength; today, it is a shadow of itself,” he stated, urging swift reforms.
Finance Minister Dr. Forson, a board member, criticized “massive mismanagement” of COCOBOD but outlined plans to restore output, including acquiring 200 hectares for plantation farms and combating cocoa diseases in the Western Region. “Cocoa remains Ghana’s jewel—we must reclaim its glory,” he asserted.
Board Chair Dr. Ofosu Ampofo pledged a “transformational agenda” to “reset, retool, and reimagine” COCOBOD, emphasizing collaboration with political leaders to inspire youth engagement in farming. “This is a call to duty,” he declared, urging bipartisan support for sectoral reforms.
The board’s mandate includes reversing production declines, addressing disease outbreaks, and restoring confidence in Ghana’s cocoa industry, which contributes 15% of global supply. Challenges persist, however, with global price volatility and climate pressures complicating recovery efforts.
