Renowned businessman Dr Ishmael Yamson has criticised operations of the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), indicating that it is not executing its mandate effectively.
Dr Yamson, who was a guest on Class FM’s Executive Breakfast Show on Wednesday, May 17, was worried Cocobod had drifted away from its core mandate.
He bemoaned corrupt practices by the board, something he says does not augur well for the sector.
“We produce less than a million tonnes of cocoa. How many people work at the Cocoa Marketing Board and what are they doing? …Now it seems to have become a source of corruption,” he told host Moro Awudu.
He was of the view that times have changed since the establishment of the board by Ghana’s first president Dr Kwame Nkrumah and the leadership must think entrepreneurially to implement modern effective systems.
“The work they are doing, is that what they should be doing in the 21st century?” he asked.
He was very worried that the board was now being used for other purposes at odds with the development of the country.
“When did Cocoa Marketing Board become a sector for funding political parties?” he queried.
For him, it is time to interrogate such matters and create a more viable pathway to grow the economy.
