Breaking the 8 or Breaking the Nation? The COCOBOD Scandal Under NPP Governance (2017–2025)

Introduction
“Ghana is a crime scene for serious investigation and prosecution.” These paraphrased words of H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana before and after the general election in 2024, echo in the minds of Ghanaians contending with

economic hardship and institutional breakdown. Arguably, about 90% of Ghanaians look up to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to work to restore credibility,

recover monetary losses, and restore economic order. Hence, the depth of institutional damage in key sectors, none more so than the cocoa industry, must be fully exposed.

In an interview on May 1, 2025, aired on Nhyira FM Kumasi, Dr. Randy Abbey asserted, “If we sit down aloof and allow the cocoa industry to collapse, the Ghanaian economy will follow.” This warning could not be more timely.

The Backbone of the Economy

Ghana’s cocoa industry contributes US$4–5 billion annually, sustaining more than 800,000 registered cocoa farmers and at least 4 million dependents. Beyond farmers, COCOBOD employs over 10,260 staff, with a staggering monthly wage bill of GHS 170 million (approx. US$11.7 million). In short, the cocoa sector is a vital economic pillar.

Yet under NPP governance from 2017 to 2025, this pillar was corroded by unchecked corruption, mismanagement, and abuse of public funds.

A Syndicated Loan, a Squandered Opportunity

In 2018, Parliament approved a US$600 million syndicated loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other financiers to fund the Ghana Cocoa Sector Improvement Programme (GCSIP). This programme aimed to rehabilitate moribund farms, fight disease, provide irrigation, and increase productivity. Of this, US$263

million was earmarked for farm rehabilitation, and US$40 million was initially dedicated to irrigation systems.

However, the NPP-led COCOBOD renegotiated this irrigation allocation, citing galamsey-related water pollution, and redirected it to land rehabilitation. Despite this shift, only 40,000 hectares were rehabilitated out of the planned 156,000 hectares, with another 27,000 hectares left incomplete leaving over GHS 700 million effectively unaccounted for, which was directly stolen from the coffers of the COCOBOD

Agrochemical Abuse and Fertilizer Scandals

Beyond land rehabilitation, a more silent and devastating scandal brewed, the

mismanagement of agrochemicals and fertilizers. A World Bank report in 2017 flagged systemic problems in COCOBOD’s fertilizer distribution, highlighting corruption, political interference, and smuggling that robbed genuine farmers of

needed inputs. Instead of reaching the farms, subsidised fertilizers and agrochemicals were diverted and often smuggled across borders.

By 2022, COCOBOD itself confirmed these malpractices in a public press release, admitting that fertilizers meant for cocoa farmers were being illegally sold or stolen. Despite COCOBOD’s warnings, the leakage continued. This gross failure not only hurt farmer yields but compounded the effects of diseases like the swollen shoot virus, which by 2023 had destroyed over 40% of active cocoa farms.

The ripple effect was clear, Ghana’s cocoa production dropped sharply, from over 1 million metric tonnes in 2019/2020 to an estimated 650,000 metric tonnes by 2024/2025. Despite this uncovered truth, the NPP government and the Ministry of Finance continued to brag about having achieved the highest cocoa production performance of all time.

The Jute Sacks Procurement Debacle

Adding insult to injury, COCOBOD’s procurement of jute sacks became another epicentre of waste:

• 2021–2022: 94,615 bales (28.4 million sacks) were stocked.
• 2023: 75,000 more bales were ordered, though only 57,599 were used.
• 2023–2024: Another 75,000 bales ordered; only 31,854 used.
• 2024–2025: 56,250 bales ordered; only 546 cleared, with 21,027 used.

Despite having close to 200,000 bales in inventory, in May 2024 the NPP government signed a new contract for 80,000 more bales. Even more egregious, in December 2024, an irrevocable Letter of Credit for US$48 million was issued to Ghana International

Bank in the UK, tied to future cocoa earnings that had not yet materialised.

Financial Collapse and Operational Blackout

According to verified reports, COCOBOD’s liabilities ballooned to GHS 32 billion by early 2025, with GHS 11.92 billion due that year alone. The cumulative financial impact of mismanaged agro-inputs, ghost rehabilitation projects, and bloated procurement schemes was staggering.

Additionally, the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which oversees COCOBOD’s operations, revealed that the institution failed to submit both

operational and financial reports for over six consecutive quarters, a clear breach of legal mandates and a red flag for institutional collapse.

The Way Forward

The incoming NDC government is implementing bold interventions to restore Ghana’s cocoa sector:

1. Cocoa price increment, Distribution of free jute sacks, agrochemicals, and disease-resistant seedlings to farmers nationwide, beginning August 2025.
2. Full forensic audit and criminal investigations into COCOBOD operations from

2015 to 2025 to recover all looted materials and misappropriation of funds. Agencies including the NIB, EOCO, the Auditor General, and the Office of the Special Prosecutor have been activated.

3. Resumption of irrigation infrastructure and targeted rehabilitation in affected regions, particularly Western North, Ashanti, and Bono.

Conclusion

The slogan and bragging by the shameful NPP to “Break the 8” became, in reality, a break from accountability, integrity, and public trust. It is no surprise that this reckless

ambition was arrested early enough, before the 2024 general elections, by the supreme leader and nation builder, H.E. John Dramani Mahama.

COCOBOD, once a symbol of Ghana’s global agricultural leadership, was reduced to a vessel for political plunder under the unscrupulous and self-serving governance of the NPP. The scandals surrounding farm rehabilitation, fertilizer smuggling, agrochemical diversion, and procurement waste have driven the sector to the brink of collapse.

But there is renewed hope under the current NDC administration, for the next 16 years and beyond. With transparency, reform, and justice at the core of governance, Ghana’s cocoa industry can rise again, not on the backs of suffering farmers, but on the strength of institutions that truly serve the nation.

By: Kennedy Opoku
NDC-Dome-Kwabenya Global 2A Communication Officer, Political Activist, and Vice President of Solids for JDM

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