The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has commenced a nationwide stakeholder engagement series following the passage of the Ghana Cocoa Board Bill, 2026.

The initiative began with an engagement involving key players in the cocoa sector at Cocoa House in Accra, aimed at creating awareness and building understanding of the provisions of the new legislation.

The first meeting brought together representatives from cocoa farmer-based organisations, civil society groups and the Licensed Cocoa Buyers Association of Ghana (LICOBAG) to discuss the implications of the Bill for the cocoa industry.

The engagement was led by the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Dr Randy Abbey, together with members of management, and focused on key areas including COCOBOD’s mandate, regulatory responsibilities, financing policy and the producer pricing framework.

Discussions also centred on issues such as cocoa farm protection, traceability, licensing arrangements and the introduction of a farmer pension scheme, with stakeholders examining their roles under the new legal framework.

COCOBOD said the engagements would continue across the country and be extended to regional, district and cocoa society levels to ensure broad understanding and effective implementation of the new law.