COCOA SECTOR MARKETING COMMITTEE INAUGURATED

Date: 17th October 2025

Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has inaugurated a 13-member Cocoa Sector Marketing Committee (COSMARC) to review the performance of Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) and ensure accountability in the buying and selling of cocoa beans and waste within the cocoa value chain. 

The committee will be chaired Hon. Sampson with the following members: Alhaji Alhassan Kobina Ghansah, Alhaji Alhassan Bukari, Nana Charles Owusu (all Board members of COCOBOD), Nana Sammy Osei-Bonsu (Private sector representative), Mr. John Awuah (Ghana Association of Bankers), Prof. Simon Bawakyillenuo (Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research), Mr. Raymond Rashid Kramer (Ghana Export Promotion Authority), Mr. Eric Kweku Bonney (Ghana Revenue Authority), Dr. James Kofi Kutsoati, Dr. Isaac Manu, Dr. Wisdom Kofi Dogbey and Mr. Frank Asante (all COCOBOD)

Inaugurating the committee, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of COCOBOD, Dr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, emphasised that the committee is essential in safeguarding the integrity of Ghana’s cocoa sector through performance evaluation, supervision and recommendation of the approval and issuance of licenses and overall consultation on market trends and pricing mechanisms. 

“The committee is entrusted with the mandate to assess, monitor, and recommend measures that uphold quality, stability and sustainability of Ghana’s cocoa,” He noted.

Dr Ofosu Ampofo hinted about the increasing international scrutiny of cocoa bean quality standards and the growing indications of the possibility of emerging cocoa-producing countries to overtake Ghana as the world’s second-largest cocoa producer and charged the committee to work diligently to uphold Ghana’s global reputation as the producer of premium-quality cocoa by providing well-informed advice to management on market developments and sustainability strategies.

The Board Chairman further lamented the growing disparities and irregularities in cocoa purchasing, where some Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) operate under their own terms and conditions, instigating incidents of smuggling.

He urged the committee to thoroughly investigate these practices, propose practical recommendations to support policy and operational reforms aimed at restoring fairness and efficiency in the cocoa trade and sanction not less than two unscrupulous persons who indulge in such acts.

This, he believes, will serve as a deterrent to other unsuspecting LBCs who indulge in unlawful cocoa sales to set a precedent for an improved cocoa sector and curb the smuggling menace.

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Sampson Ahi, expressed appreciation to the Management of COCOBOD for the confidence reposed in the members and the opportunity to serve in such a crucial capacity. 

He assured that the Committee would remain dedicated to its task of monitoring the activities of Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), investigating irregularities, and ensuring compliance with regulations governing the legal buying and selling of Ghana’s cocoa beans to promote stronger synergy between COCOBOD and the LBCs.