Full text of the Statement:

UNITED VOICES FOR CHANGE
PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
6TH FEBRUARY, 2024
SUPER INCOMPETENCE AND THIEVERY: THE SICKNESS IN COCOBOD

Today marks a day of shame and pain for the unprofitable toil by our forefathers who through their painful hardworking, sweat and the sharing of their blood bequeathed us one of the world’s valuable assets on the market like cocoa which forms a huge part in the general well-being of our economy and therefore, its not surprising seeing the poor deplorable, hopeless and uninspiring economy that we are in as a country.

GHANA which was once the leading producer of Cocoa in the world and now second to only our West Africa Neighbouring Country La Cote D’voire is now importing cocoa beans from Nigeria and Cote D’voire and this reckless and incompetent action from the Ghana COCOBOD only spells the doom and danger ahead of us.

The mismanagement, misapplication of funds, thievery and create loot and share within the cocoa sectors under the incompetent leadership of Dr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has brought us this low and is gradually sinking our revered cocoa prestige and pride Ghana holds in the world.
COCOBOD has over the years been so wasteful dating from 2018 to 2020 base on the SIGA report under the leadership of Dr. Aidoo.

COCOBOD alone has accumulated a total debt of GH 786, 928,800 in just three years and the question is, what have they been doing over there, who is in charge of the accounts, daily transactions and where did those monies go?
The hole created in our national economy largely also have to do with the mismanagement and thievery within the SOEs. Just between 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 cocoa season, Ghana went down by 711,000 metric tonnes of cocoa just in one year and so, United Voices for Change is not surprise at all to see the shameful underbridge deal of trying to import COCOA BEANS from Nigeria and Cote D’voire which must be condemned in all uncertain terms and also with an explanation coming from the CEO on how we got here as a cocoa producing country?

Cocoa sector only accounts for 4.5%of the country’s total GDP and contributes a total of 25% of all Ghana merchandise export earnings which means that, the cocoa sector in Ghana’s economy is very important and shouldn’t be toyed with nor be in this state of a mess.

Statistically, Ghana which is now trying to shamefully import Cocoa Beans together with Cote D’voire accounts for almost 60% of world’s total cocoa production and so, what exactly happened that today we have to start importing cocoa beans from a country that has never been better than us in cocoa production.

United Voices for Change is here by calling on the President of the republic of Ghana and his Vice, H.E. Nana Akuffo Addo and H.E. Dr. Bawumiah as a matter of urgency to sack the CEO, Dr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo and his board to allow for new better hands to salvage the sorrowful situation of our cocoa sector if only they are not accomplice or in anyway directly benefiting from this create loot and share within the sector.

“The citizens freedom may be restricted by law on the grounds stated in the 1992 constitution but they cannot be denied.

Any such denial will be unconstitutional” and clearly, the continuous stay of Dr. Joseph Aidoo is an infringement on rights of Ghanaians and an upfront to the very laws that established and guides his operations as the CEO as per Article 4 of the Act that Governs the Management of State-owned Enterprises, “state-owned enterprises shall be operated in a manner benefiting a business so that they may be able to support themselves, achieve continuous development, and increase the national income without INCURRING LOSSES”, on this note, the wastages and clear thievery is enough grounds for the removal of the various CEOs starting from Dr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo.

This is call of responsibility on the president and in the days coming, we will comeback to state our next line of actions base on the response on the president and his vice!
ENOUGH OF THE INCOMPETENCE: SAVE COCOBOD AND GHANA COCOA PRODUCTION
Long Live Ghana
Long Live United Voices for Change
……………………………..
ANTWI Sylvestin Ronald