BY Daniel Bampoe
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has found itself at the center of controversy following claims that over ten of its top directors have been rendered redundant while still drawing salaries.
What began as media speculation has now escalated into a public exchange between the management of the state institution and its former Head of Public Affairs, Fiifi Boafo.
COCOBOD’s Rebuttal
On Wednesday, August 20, 2025, COCOBOD issued a strongly worded press release dismissing reports that ten directors had been sidelined.
The statement, issued by the Public Affairs Department, insisted that “no Director has been asked to stay home and draw salary.”
The management clarified further that none of its directors were idling at home except the former Director of Finance, who was on accumulated leave after failing to take leave for eight years.
It stressed that transfers and reassignments currently underway were part of a “strategic realignment to bring efficiency and effectiveness into the operations of the Board.”
The press release urged the public to disregard what it described as “misleading representations” in sections of the media and emphasized that all directors remained on the payroll as active employees.
Fiifi Boafo Pushes Back
However, former COCOBOD Public Affairs Manager, Fiifi Boafo, has countered the official narrative, accusing the institution of downplaying the reality.
In a sharp rebuttal, Fifi Boafo argued that while the affected directors remain on the payroll, many have been moved into roles that “do not exist in the organogram of the company,” while others have been reassigned but given no clear job description.
Fifi Boafo described the situation as one that risks wasting valuable human resources.
“Although they remain on the payroll, it appears these directors are unable to contribute meaningfully to their new assignments, ultimately undermining their effectiveness,” he said.
He warned that the Board stood to lose the institutional memory and expertise of individuals who had dedicated decades to COCOBOD’s service.
Costs Amid Financial Crisis
The former Public Affairs Head further questioned the financial prudence of management’s decisions.
He revealed that several millions of cedis had already been spent on transfer grants for the directors moved to regional postings—postings which, according to him, did not align with the company’s operational structure.
“At a time the Chief Executive is complaining about high staff remuneration and financial difficulties, management should prioritize optimizing its human resources rather than creating unnecessary costs,” Fifi Boafo stated.
He linked the controversy to a broader sense of dissatisfaction among cocoa farmers, who are still aggrieved by what he described as the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s “unfulfilled promise of a fictitious price of 6,000 per bag of cocoa.”
Background to the Tension
The issue of COCOBOD’s financial health has been a recurring debate over the past decade.
The institution has grappled with ballooning administrative costs, declining global cocoa prices, and mounting debt linked to syndicated loans.
Successive governments have come under criticism for using COCOBOD as a tool for political patronage, with frequent allegations of overstaffing and mismanagement.
The latest accusations of sidelined directors come at a delicate time when cocoa farmers are demanding better pricing and more efficient use of resources to cushion them against economic hardship.
Stakeholders fear that institutional wrangling and alleged misuse of funds could further erode trust in the Board’s management.
