The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has assured that cocoa road projects under construction across Ghana will be continued and completed.
However, new cocoa road projects will not be initiated.
This is following the government’s ongoing engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The clarification from COCOBOD on Monday, August 14, 2023, follows some media publications that all cocoa road projects have been put on hold following an order from the IMF.
The Cocoa Road Programme was initiated by COCOBOD to resolve transport issues pertaining to the delivery of agro-inputs to cocoa farmers and to facilitate cocoa bean evacuation.
Speaking to journalists at the 50th Anniversary Celebration symposium at the Cocoa Clinic on Thursday, August 9, 2023, the CEO of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo said “the current situation with the IMF is that they say yes now we can continue and complete what we have started but we should not start any more new cocoa road construction”.
He further explained the essence of the cocoa roads was to allow residents in cocoa-growing areas to have easy access to healthcare and other important social amenities to ensure rapid development.
“The EU sent a team last year to do due diligence on sustainable production and when they came, a member of the delegation wanted to know why COCOBOD has been involved in cocoa roads construction because it is not a core business of COCOBOD and the said member of delegation insisted that we take that venture out of our equation; and, the IMF is also saying the same thing. They say that we can continue with what we are currently constructing and not start new ones”, Mr Boahen stated.
The above statement, according to the board has however, been misrepresented in a section of the media.
Mr Boahen Aidoo, during the event also said plans were underway for the establishment of healthcare centres in cocoa-growing communities to improve farmers’ access to healthcare delivery.
“I have had the experience where a woman, who was in labour and couldn’t deliver in 2001 had to be carried in a hammock and travelled over 28 kilometres and couldn’t survive.”
“When we look at the countryside to see how our cocoa farmers struggle to access health delivery, you will be touched to do something; and that is why, as an institution, it is important to bring health services and facilities as closer to these farmers as possible.”
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