A deepening rift has emerged at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) as former Head of Public Affairs, Fiifi Boafo, has pushed back against claims by the current Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ransford Annetey Abbey, that critical contract information was concealed by the previous administration.
What initially appeared to be a revelation about undisclosed cocoa rollover contracts has now escalated into a full-blown blame game—with continuity and internal restructuring at the heart of the dispute.
In a strongly worded statement posted on social media and sighted by MyNewsGh, Boafo rejected Dr. Abbey’s assertions, stressing that the matter had been properly addressed during official transition meetings. He referenced the presence of high-level officials, including Finance Minister Ato Forson, Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku, and Presidential Advisor Seth Terkper, during those deliberations.
“The idea that the issue was hidden is simply inaccurate,” Boafo said. “If the new CEO had not removed most of the former leadership team, perhaps this ‘lack of awareness’ would not exist.”
His response comes after Dr. Abbey, during a recent media interaction, accused the former management of failing to disclose the existence and volume of rollover contracts—including over 230,000 tonnes of cocoa already cleared and an additional 100,000 tonnes yet to be delivered. He argued that the absence of this information distorted the Free On Board (FOB) pricing for the 2024/2025 season, which was declared at $4,850 per tonne but was reportedly not disclosed in the official COCOBOD release.
Dr. Abbey contrasted this with his own administration’s 2025/2026 season disclosures, which clearly stated an FOB of $7,200, asking pointedly: “Why was that not done last year?”
Boafo’s counterargument, however, suggests that management restructuring—rather than concealment—is to blame for the alleged lack of information. He emphasized that the outgoing team had done its part to ensure transparency during the transition, and that institutional memory was lost when the incoming CEO opted to replace key figures en masse.
Observers say the spat reveals more than a simple miscommunication—it highlights gaps in transition management, weak institutional continuity, and internal fragmentation within one of Ghana’s most critical state agencies.
As questions linger about the accuracy of declared cocoa volumes and pricing models—factors that directly affect farmer incomes and national revenue—calls are mounting for independent auditing and better inter-administrative collaboration at COCOBOD.
The controversy not only underscores tensions between past and present leadership but also exposes the need for stronger corporate governance practices that safeguard institutional knowledge and prevent politically motivated reshuffles from undermining operational transparency.
