Vice-President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has argued that dismantling the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) would deliver better results for farmers and the wider economy.
According to him, the regulatory body has become an expensive bureaucracy that drains resources instead of empowering the farmers whose toil sustains the cocoa industry. He believes that without COCOBOD, farmers would be able to organise themselves more efficiently and retain greater value from their produce.
“If we collapse COCOBOD today, Ghana’s economy will be better, and farmers will be better. They can organise themselves,” he stressed during an appearance on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, August 23.
Mr. Bentil contends that the current structure allows urban-based elites to capture the benefits of cocoa revenue while smallholder farmers remain impoverished. Scrapping COCOBOD, in his view, would free the sector from layers of bureaucracy and allow farmers to directly access markets and financing.
The call reflects longstanding criticisms of the regulator’s size, cost, and management practices. Over the years, concerns have mounted over COCOBOD’s heavy administrative expenses, debt accumulation, and the limited impact of its programmes on farmer welfare.
For Mr. Bentil, the solution lies not in reform but in outright dissolution. “The institution has outlived its usefulness,” he maintained, adding that the institution no longer fulfils the purpose for which it was established.
His remarks reignite debate about the future of Ghana’s cocoa sector at a time when production challenges and global price volatility are already putting pressure on the industry.
