2025 COCOA AND COFFEE AWARD WINNERS; COCOSHE EXECUTIVES PAY COURTESY CALL ON COCOBOD CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Date: 19th December 2025

The 2025 National Best Cocoa and Coffee award winners together with the Ghana Cocoa Coffee and Shea Farmers Association (COCOSHE) have paid a courtesy call on the Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Randy Abbey to express appreciation for COCOBOD’s recognition of their hard work and the Board’s continued support, following their honours at the 41st National Farmers’ Day celebration in Ho in the Volta region. 

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the President of the Award Winners Association, Mr Charles Gyamfi, thanked COCOBOD for the awards, describing them as motivation to both the award winners and other farmers across the country. 

Mr Gyamfi used the opportunity to engage the Chief Executive on key challenges affecting cocoa production across the country. He outlined issues such as poor road networks, rural electrification, cocoa smuggling, weighing scale tampering, and tertiary education scholarship, among others. 

On his part, the President of COCOSHE, Alhaji Alhassan Bukari, commended Dr Randy Abbey for a job well done since his appointment as the Chief Executive. Other COCOSHE executives present also praised COCOBOD for the inclusion of trucks in the prize packages of other award categories, particularly the Shea Pickers Award. They further used the opportunity to express concerns over similar challenges raised earlier by the award winners.

Addressing the concerns, the Chief Executive shared that COCOBOD is working closely with relevant state agencies such as the Ghana Standards Authority and the Ministry of Roads and Highways to address the challenges raised, particularly the issues of scale tampering and poor road networks. 

Dr Abbey also revealed some financial pressures facing COCOBOD as a result of contracts awarded without approved budgetary allocations. He explained that these have worsened COCOBOD’s financial strain accruing a debt of about GHS 33 billion. 

“In 2018/2019, the Public Procurement Regulatory Commission (PPRC) made no allocation for roads, yet COCOBOD went ahead to award contracts without budgetary provisions. This is why COCOBOD has been asked not to embark on any road projects,” he stated. 

The Chief Executive, however, urged the farmers to continue the good work and reassured them that their hard work, together with COCOBOD’s commitment to the farmers, will make Ghana’s cocoa sector great again. 

The National Best Cocoa Farmer, Mr Edward Kwame Yeboah, on behalf of the winners, expressed appreciation to COCOBOD for their efforts to improve the cocoa sector and their recognition of hardworking cocoa farmers. He reiterated the farmers’ commitment to care for their farms rather than selling them to be used as illegal mining (galamsey) sites. 

Highlighting the benefits of cocoa farming, he encouraged others to venture into cocoa farming, especially women and the youth. 

Meanwhile, present at the meeting were Dr Francis Baah, Deputy Chief Executive (Agronomy and Quality Control), Mr James Kutsoati, Deputy Chief Executive (Operations), and Dr Richard Adu-Acheampong, Ag. Director Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED), Madam Cecilia Addai, National Most Enterprising Female Cocoa Farmer, Mr Akwesi Sey, National Most Promising Young Cocoa Farmer, Mr Kwesi Gyan, National Best Coffee Farmer and other COCOSHE Executives.