Ransford Abbey appointed acting CEO of Ghana Cocoa Board 

GHANA – President John Dramani Mahama has appointed Ransford Anertey Abbey as the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).  

The appointment, effective January 21, 2025, aligns with Article 195(1) of the Constitution and Section 12(2) of the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 1984. 

Abbey succeeds Joseph Boahen Aidoo, who resigned earlier this week following a government directive for the cessation of boards of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)

He will serve in an acting capacity until the required advice is received from the Board of Ghana Cocoa Board, in consultation with the Public Services Commission. 

Abbey is a respected media personality and sports administrator, widely known as the host of Metro TV’s morning show, Good Morning Ghana, a platform recognized for its impactful discussions on national matters.  

Additionally, he serves as an Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association and as president of Kpando Hearts of Lions Football Club, contributing significantly to the development of Ghanaian football. 

President Mahama extended his congratulations to Dr. Abbey, expressing confidence in his ability to provide strong leadership and strategic direction to COCOBOD, a key player in Ghana’s cocoa industry. 

The appointment comes at a critical time for Ghana’s cocoa sector, which has been grappling with cocoa production at its lowest production levels in two decades.  

Citing reports from COCOBOD, Eric Opoku, the Minister-Designate for Food and Agriculture, emphasized that regardless of whether the figure was 430,000 or 530,000 metric tonnes, both numbers reflected a worrying decline. 

“… Mr Chairman, just recently during the transition engagement, COCOBOD submitted a list to us. In that document, they indicated that their production was 530 metric tonnes… But production has declined and that is the lowest in the last two decades,” he said. 

The decline in cocoa production has had severe financial implications. Ghana defaulted on an US$800 million syndicated loan intended for the purchase of 850,000 tonnes of cocoa.  

According to Opoku, the loan had been rolled over to this year, with a reduced quantity of 374,000 tonnes. He acknowledged that addressing this debt and other debts in the sector was crucial before making progress. 

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