Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has launched a critique of Ghana’s cocoa sector regulator, arguing that the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has become a burden on both the economy and farmers.

Speaking to Philip Osei Bonsu on JoyNews analysis programme, Newsfile, Mr Bentil cited historical examples to stress that cocoa farmers have long contributed to national development but continue to be marginalised in the distribution of wealth.

“In fact, the building of the University of Ghana, if you know the history of it, came from a simple idea: let’s take a bit of money from each cocoa bag. They did it in a targeted way, and that’s why we have that institution there. That’s why it is named Akuafo Hall,” he explained.

He criticised what he described as an unfair system where hard-working farmers are deprived of the value of their labour, while officials in Accra enjoy the benefits.

“It does not make sense to take the money of poor, hard-working farmers and give it to Accra-based, suit-wearing people sitting in air-conditioned offices. Look at the number of people working in COCOBOD, and for these people not to be helping the farmers but essentially sapping them and sapping them dry,” Mr Bentil said.

The IMANI Vice President went further to argue that dismantling COCOBOD could be in the best interest of both farmers and the wider economy.

“If we collapse COCOBOD today, Ghana’s economy will be better, and farmers will be better. They can organise themselves absolutely,” he asserted.