Convert Ghana's cocoa sector to 100% organic production and bedrock it with ESG, agroforestry and climate-smart farming

The time has now come for the leadership of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), to be held to account for their egregious short-sightedness, unwarranted complacency and failure to move to convert to 100 percent cocoa production, and bedrock the cocoa sector with ESG, agroforestry and climate-smart farming.

As many of the predictions we have made over the decades (about what will happen to our beloved nation, if our hard-of-hearing ruling-elites refuse to change course), come to pass, we are confounded that greed still continues to drive those whom we elect to govern our nation. Hmmm, ey3nsem piiiii, oooo, Ghanafuo...

It is in that light that we now make bold to predict that, if we are unable to switch all food production to organic (by policymakers planning and executing such a health-boosting idea), and ensuring that the conversion to 100 percent organic production happens within the next five years, then the cocoa industry will also experience the same shockwaves now devastating the lives of the many investors, who bought government paper because they believed it was risk-free investment, but now suddenly realise that that is no longer true.

Sadly, those investors now see clearly that they have been made to bear the brunt of the wealth-destroying effects, of the reckless borrowing spree indulged in by feckless politicians - who when campaigning for power, promised to end borrowing: and usher the nation into a new nation-building age, beyond aid from foreign powers: but have failed miserably to fulfil that promise.

If the COCOBOD's leadership still don't see, and understand, that if they don't convert the industry to 100 percent organic production, a time will come when virtually all of Ghana's pesticide-residue-ridden cocoa, will be rejected by the foreign markets that used to pay a premium for what (before the vast majority of consumers worldwide adopted healthy lifestyles), used to be considered the world's finest cocoa, then they don't deserve to remain in their positions.

One says what follows humbly and only as matter of fact, in order to stress a point: As someone whose family has farmed cocoa in Ghana's Eastern Region, since the 1920s (from the British colonial era to date), and who is also an Akyem Osiem royal, who is co-steward of Akyem Abuakwa's biggest privately-owned freehold landholding portfolio, who also happens to be a generational-thinker and environmental activist, one intends to do everything possible to force change on the COCOBOD's complacent and shortsighted leadership.

Ghanafuo, that campaign for change to 100 percent organic cocoa production, will begin by one suing the COCOBOD's current leadership, for not implementing fully, all the terms and conditions they signed on to, which led to the African Development Bank (AfDB), giving them US$600 million. We shall demand full accountability from them of what has been disbursed, thus far, from the US $600 million.

Ghana's cocoa industry needs new leadership that is farsighted and committed fully to 100 percent conversion to organic production, and understand the need to bedrock the cocoa sector with ESG, agroforestry and climate-smart farming. Full stop. Case closed. Yooooooo...