COCOBOD Boss now Chief, stool name Sumpahene of Yamatwa

Date: 15th June 2020

Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo was given this honour when he and his delegation made a courtesy visit to the Ahenfie of the Chief of Yamatwa as part of his week-long farm inspection and farmer-engagement tour, from the 1st to the 6th of June, to assess the quality of the work done in pruning cocoa farms.

In presiding over the ceremony, Nana Yaw Berima, the Gyasehene of Yamatwa said that the position was in recognition of the good work that the COCOBOD Boss had done for the community and the region at large.

He noted that they were pleased with his performance during his time as the Western Regional Minister and also delighted by the interventions, particularly, the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme, which has been introduced under his leadership.

“We want to express our deepest gratitude to the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, our father Boahen Aidoo. He is truly a native of the Western North Region. When he became the Regional Minister, we all saw what he did for us and indeed he is continuing that good work. So, we do have to thank him because the person who does a good job is worthy of praise,” Nana Yaw Berima said.

He added that, “many governments have come a gone; we know how they all deal with us farmers. However, your approach, under the government of Nana Addo-Danquah Akuffo Addo, the President of Ghana, is exceptional. You have been cutting the [diseased trees] and replanting our farms for us. So, we will express our appreciation my enstooling you as a Chief in the palace for you to come a join us to rule this town.”

Yamatwa is one of the towns in the Western North Region which has been worse affected by the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD). As such, the town, along with its nearby communities are among the very early beneficiaries of the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme, which was introduced by the present management of COCOBOD, to curtail the spread of the disease, which had destroyed many farms and livelihoods.

In a short and blissful ceremony, the COCOBOD Chief Executive was adorned with a colourful royal cloth and pair of sandals, and ushered onto his stool to officially crown him the Sumpahene of Yamatwa. He was given the name Nana Yaw Asante, which according to the Gyasehene, is the name of one of the illustrious person’s to have immerged from Yamatwa.

In accepting the honour, Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo thanked the Chiefs and elders of Yamatwa for the position bestowed on him, and also spoke about COCOBOD’s firm commitment to curtail the spread of CSSVD, and to restore the livelihood of farmers in the town and across the nation.

Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo and his delegation are in the Western North Region, after visiting several farms in the Ahafo, Bono and Bono East Regions, where they had interactions with farmers on the importance of farming practices, particularly, pruning.