Former Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim North, Andrew Appiah-Kubi, has called for an end to political protection for public officials accused of mismanaging the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), insisting that accountability must override party loyalty.
Speaking on The Key Point on TV3, the former lawmaker said Ghana’s cocoa sector is suffering because successive governments have shielded negligent officers from prosecution.
“When people misbehave in public office and hide behind political parties, it destroys accountability. That must stop,” he stated.
Appiah-Kubi stressed that officials who fail in their stewardship must be investigated and sanctioned, regardless of their political background.
“If you enter public service and misbehave, you should face the law. Being NPP or NDC must not save you,” he said.
The former MP, who once belonged to the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), said political interference has weakened discipline in state institutions and encouraged wasteful spending.
“Once negligence is politicised, one party defends and the other attacks. In the end, the nation loses,” he added.
According to Appiah-Kubi, poor financial controls and excessive borrowing have contributed significantly to COCOBOD’s current difficulties.
He criticised the conversion of COCOBOD’s debts into equity, describing it as unsustainable and harmful to the long-term health of the cocoa industry.
“Turning debts into equity is not a solution. It only postpones the problem and burdens future generations,” he argued.
He further questioned the award of high-value contracts without adequate capital backing.
“When your spending limit is exceeded three times over, who will pay? It is the taxpayer and the farmer,” he said.
The former MP also accused past governments of misusing the cocoa stabilisation fund, which was originally meant to protect farmers against global price fluctuations.
“The stabilisation fund was created to support the industry, but governments often diverted it for other programmes,” he noted.
He said this practice weakened COCOBOD’s capacity to cushion farmers during periods of low prices.
“When the industry needed support, the money was gone,” he added.
Appiah-Kubi lamented that Ghana failed to fully benefit from high global cocoa prices between 2023 and 2025 due to poor pricing and marketing strategies.
“We locked our prices too early and couldn’t take advantage of the market peak,” he said.
He argued that better timing and strategic forward sales could have generated additional revenue for the sector.
Calling for comprehensive reforms, Appiah-Kubi urged authorities to restore COCOBOD’s founding principles of sustainability, discipline, and value addition.
“We must go back to the basics. Build reserves, strengthen the stabilisation fund, and invest in processing,” he stated.
He also appealed to policymakers to prioritise long-term planning over short-term political gains, stressing that governance is about steady progress, not protecting people who have failed.
