By Daniel Bampoe
Allegations of questionable human resource decisions at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) have surfaced, as Nana Asafo Adjei Ayeh, the Member of Parliament for Bosome-Freho, claimed that the Board recruited nearly 200 new staff between 2025 and 2026, despite the cocoa industry grappling with significant financial stress and unpaid dues to farmers.
Speaking on Metro TV, Ayeh stated that his figures were verified and accurate.
“Before staff rationalisation, you had employed so many. You have done so many employments. These supposed costs making you do this were there when you came, yet you employed so many. Check from 2025 to 2026, the number of recruitment COCOBOD has done. About almost 200 new recruits,” he said, highlighting what he described as a misalignment between spending priorities and financial realities.
His comments follow a press release by COCOBOD earlier this month, announcing salary reductions for executive management and senior staff for the remainder of the 2025/2026 cocoa crop year. The Board members also followed up the suspension of sitting allowances for the same period.
In the statement, the COCOBOD cited liquidity challenges in the cocoa sector as the reason for the salary cuts, with executive management agreeing to a 20 percent reduction and senior staff taking a 10 percent cut.
The Board described the measure as part of broader cost-cutting efforts intended to stabilise its finances and align expenditures with revenue.
However, Ayeh questioned the rationale of the austerity measures in light of what he termed “new recruitments during a period of financial strain.”
He suggested that the influx of staff may have exacerbated COCOBOD’s difficulties, particularly the ongoing inability to settle outstanding payments owed to cocoa farmers.
“You have employed almost 200 new staff while farmers across the country are waiting for their payments. That raises questions about the management of resources,” he said.
The MP’s critique taps into a broader context of challenges within Ghana’s cocoa sector. In recent years, the industry has faced volatile global cocoa prices, liquidity shortages, and delayed payments to farmers, prompting criticism from opposition lawmakers and advocacy groups.
For instance, in February 2026, the Minority in Parliament called for the restoration of the cocoa producer price following a controversial reduction from GH¢3,625 per 64kg bag to GH¢2,587, arguing that such decisions directly affect the livelihoods of more than one million farmers.
COCOBOD, historically a major foreign exchange earner for Ghana, has frequently been under scrutiny for management decisions, including salary structures, procurement practices, and debt management.
The current controversy adds to ongoing debates about governance, efficiency, and accountability in the sector, particularly amid initiatives to modernise operations and improve farmer welfare.
As of now, COCOBOD has not publicly responded to the specific recruitment figures cited by Ayeh, leaving questions about staffing policies and their impact on the Board’s financial health unresolved.
Observers suggest that the allegations, if substantiated, could fuel further calls for reform and stricter oversight of cocoa sector governance.
