Amend PNDC Law 81 to reduce political influence in COCOBOD - GCCP

Members of the Ghana Civil-Society Cocoa Platform (GCCP) are calling on the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) and the Parliament of Ghana to amend the laws governing the appointment of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).

The group believes that the current arrangement, which places the full authority of appointment in the hands of the President, exposes the cocoa sector to unnecessary political influence and undermines continuity and efficiency in the management of the industry.

Under the existing legal framework, the appointment of the COCOBOD CEO is guided by Article 195(1) of the 1992 Constitution, which vests the power to appoint persons to public service offices in the President, acting on the advice of the governing council of the institution and in consultation with the Public Services Commission. In addition, the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 1984 (PNDCL 81), specifically Section 12(2), states that the Chief Executive of the Board shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Board and in consultation with the Public Services Commission. This makes the position a political appointment tied to changes in government.

A recent example is the appointment of the current Acting CEO, Dr. Ransford Anertey Abbey – journalist and football administrator, by President John Dramani Mahama in January 2025, which remains subject to the required advice of the Board and the Public Services Commission.

For GCCP members, this underscores the urgent need to review the law and establish an appointment system driven by proven competence, experience, and independence rather than political considerations.

At the 2nd Annual General Meeting of the GCCP held in Kumasi, members expressed concern that COCOBOD’s performance and the welfare of cocoa farmers continue to be affected by shifts in political priorities. They argued that the leadership of such a sensitive and economically critical institution should not be vulnerable to political changes.

The group is proposing that appointments to the office of CEO and the governing Board be made by an independent, non-partisan body, and that appointees should be individuals who have risen through the ranks of the cocoa sector and demonstrated the capacity to manage it effectively.

The Platform announced its intention to petition the Constitutional Review Committee and the Parliament of Ghana to review PNDC Law 81 and related constitutional provisions to ensure that COCOBOD can operate with the independence required to serve the best interests of farmers and the industry at large. They emphasised that Ghana’s cocoa sector deserves leadership that is stable, technically competent, and free from political interference.

The GCCP cited the poor road networks in the cocoa-growing areas as one of the reasons why more efficient, development-oriented persons should be appointed to head the COCOBOD.

Madam Harriette Nuamah Agyemang, Country Director for SEND Ghana encouraged the participants to come out with the best of ideas that will contribute to the growth of the cocoa sector in Ghana and most importantly, enhance the wellbeing of local cocoa farmers.