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

Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo (Former CEO of COCOBOD under the NPP Government)

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.

Why Cocoa Matters

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 with a view to use it to support the loan from AFDB.

Agrochemical Abuse and Fertilizer Scandals

Beyond the failures in land rehabilitation, an equally devastating scandal unfolded quietly, the mismanagement of agrochemicals and fertilizers, which directly impacted farmer productivity and cocoa yields.

A World Bank report in 2017 flagged deep-seated problems in COCOBOD’s fertilizer distribution system, citing widespread corruption, political interference, and rampant smuggling. Subsidised inputs meant for cocoa farmers were frequently diverted, resold, or smuggled across Ghana’s borders. Instead of enhancing farm productivity, these inputs lined the pockets of unscrupulous actors, leaving genuine farmers vulnerable.

By 2022, COCOBOD publicly admitted to these malpractices in a press statement, confirming that fertilizers intended for cocoa farmers were being illegally sold or stolen. Despite repeated warnings, the diversion and leakage of inputs continued unchecked. This gross administrative failure worsened the impact of the cocoa swollen shoot virus, which by 2023 had decimated over 40% of Ghana’s active cocoa farms.

The effects were measurable and severe. Cocoa production plummeted from over 1 million metric tonnes in 2019/2020 to an estimated 650,000 metric tonnes by 2024/2025—a nearly 40% decline in just five years. Yet, in the face of this collapse, the NPP government and the Ministry of Finance continued to boast of achieving record- breaking cocoa yields, a claim that stands in stark contradiction to both production data and the lived realities of farmers.

Investigations have revealed specific instances of financial mismanagement in the agrochemical procurement process:

• In 2018, COCOBOD awarded a $3.15 million contract for Cocoa Nti Granular Fertilizer to Agriculture Manufacturing Group Limited. The deal bypassed standard testing protocols at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), raising serious concerns about the legitimacy of the product approval and the quality of the fertilizer supplied.
• Additional deals totalling $15 million and GHC44 million were uncovered, all tied to fertilizer procurement and distribution contracts. These transactions are now under broader scrutiny for potentially breaching procurement laws and lacking transparency.
• An Auditor-General’s report also disclosed that COCOBOD had written off expired agrochemicals valued at GHC23.9 million, highlighting gross lapses in inventory management and wastage of public resources.
• Most alarmingly, in 2022, COCOBOD, in partnership with the Ghana Revenue Authority, impounded 15 trucks loaded with smuggled, subsidised fertilizers that were intended for cocoa farmers. These fertilizers, meant to be freely distributed were being illegally repackaged and diverted into the black market. This exposed significant weaknesses in the monitoring and enforcement mechanisms of the distribution system.

The cumulative financial loss from these fertilizer and agrochemical scandals runs into hundreds of millions of Ghana cedis, undermining not only COCOBOD’s credibility but the very livelihood of the Ghanaian cocoa farmer. It is a painful example of how poor governance, if unchecked, can erode both national revenue and public trust.

The Jute Sacks Procurement Debacle

According to records from the 2021–2022 cocoa season, the NPP-led COCOBOD had a total of 94,615 bales of jute sacks available for packaging cocoa beans. Each bale contains 300 sacks, amounting to a total of 28,384,500 jute sacks.

In 2023, COCOBOD imported an additional 75,000 bales. Out of this, only 74,023 bales were cleared from the port, leaving behind 977 bales. When these 977 bales are added to the 94,615 already available, along with stocks from before 2021, the total inventory at COCOBOD's disposal was approximately 168,630 bales.

Surprisingly, only 57,599 bales were used for cocoa production in 2023. This clearly indicates that there was no need for additional importation, as the existing stock of 94,615 bales alone would have sufficed for nationwide distribution. Yet, the importation of the 75,000 bales cost the country an estimated $40 million. Despite the large surplus of jute sacks in storage, COCOBOD went on to order another 75,000 bales for the 2023– 2024 season. Shockingly, only 17,289 bales were cleared, leaving 57,711 bales stranded at the port.

Again in 2023–2024, only 31,854 bales were used for actual cocoa production across the country. For the 2024–2025 season, COCOBOD ordered yet another 56,250 bales, of which only 546 bales were cleared. Even more troubling, only 21,027 bales were used for cocoa production across Ghana in 2024, a figure that reflects a steep decline in cocoa output over the past three years.

Despite this glaring oversupply and underuse, in May 2024, the NPP government signed a new contract to purchase an additional 80,000 bales for use in the 2025–2026 season, even though there were already close to 200,000 bales sitting idle at COCOBOD warehouses and the port as of December 2024.

To make matters worse, in December 2024, COCOBOD issued an irrevocable Letter of Credit to the Ghana International Bank in the UK, instructing them to use $48 million, based on cocoa earnings that had not yet been credited to fully pay for the newly 80,000 ordered bales. This decision was taken just months before a general election, at a time when the NPP could not even guarantee they would remain in power.

This scandalous pattern of over-ordering, financial recklessness, and inventory mismanagement has cost the nation dearly, and highlights the urgent need for accountability in the management of Ghana’s cocoa sector.

According to the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which maintained a performance contract with COCOBOD for over six consecutive quarters, the NPP government focused solely on reporting operational performance while deliberately omitting financial expenditure reports, despite being legally mandated to submit both on a quarterly basis. This selective reporting was clearly aimed at covering up the scale of financial mismanagement.

When one considers the available statistics over just a four-year period—without even factoring in the unresolved issues surrounding agrochemical-related theft and

procurement fraud, it becomes evident that Ghana COCOBOD is functionally bankrupt. The extent of financial irresponsibility and concealment points to a deeply compromised institution in urgent need of reform.

The Way Forward

While the consequences of this scandal must not be allowed to burden the ordinary cocoa farmer, the NDC government, starting from August 2025, is committed to delivering tangible relief. This includes an increase in cocoa prices, alongside the free distribution of jute sacks and agrochemicals as part of our renewed commitment to safeguarding the welfare and productivity of Ghana's cocoa farming communities.

Secondly, the government is resolute in its determination to recover all stolen assets and misappropriated funds. The government is committed to upholding the rule of law

and ensuring that those who abused public trust are held accountable no matter how high or well-connected they may be. The era of impunity is over.

Finally, a full-scale investigation is underway. The National Investigation Bureau (NIB), the Auditor-General’s Department, the Office of the Special Prosecutor, and the

Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) are all actively reviewing the numerous scandals and financial irregularities at COCOBOD spanning the period 2015–2025.

These agencies have been tasked with ensuring that justice is served and that the cocoa sector is restored to integrity and transparency.

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