Business executive and consultant Dr. K.K. Sarpong has criticized the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) for deviating from its primary purpose by engaging in road construction.
Speaking on behalf of the Structural and Policy Reform Committee at the National Economic Dialogue, Dr. Sarpong highlighted inefficiencies in state institutions, drawing comparisons between COCOBOD and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
He pointed out operational inefficiencies and procurement challenges that both organizations face.
Addressing COCOBOD’s role, he emphasized that the institution should focus solely on trading cocoa rather than road construction.
“COCOBOD is not focused on its core business and has inefficient procurement practices, just like ECG. To the government, we suggest the following: we should have a holistic and coordinated plan to stop galamsey and improve cocoa and food production. This is a major issue for the government to address.
“COCOBOD should concentrate on its primary business of buying and selling cocoa. It has no business constructing roads. We believe this must stop. The Department of Feeder Roads exists, and arrangements can be made for them to oversee Cocoa Roads.
“In the past, when some of us were there, we were never constructing roads. We only assisted by providing funds to Feeder Roads to carry out the work,” he stated.
KA
Meanwhile, watch this Ghana Month special edition of People and Places as we hear the story of how the head of Kwame Nkrumah’s bronze statue was returned after 43 years, below:
