Awal Mohammed questions COCOBOD's payment assurances to cocoa farmers

New Patriotic Party (NPP) communicator Awal Mohammed has questioned the credibility of the Ghana Cocoa Board's (COCOBOD) latest assurance that funds have been released to settle outstanding payments owed to cocoa farmers.

In a Facebook post on Sunday July 5, 2026, he  argued that the latest announcement contradicts earlier claims by the cocoa regulator that all arrears had already been cleared.

According to him, COCOBOD's Head of Public Relations, Jerome K. Sam, announced in March that GH¢3.1 billion had been released to Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) to pay cocoa farmers who were owed for their produce.

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"However, as of last month, our independent checks indicate that the farmers still have not received their money," he wrote.

However reacting to  COCOBOD's recent announcement that it had released GH¢2.6 billion to settle last season's outstanding payments, Mohammed said the new development raises questions about the agency's previous assurances.

"This latest announcement effectively confirms that all previous claims of clearing these debts between January and now were false," he stated.

He also expressed doubt over whether the newly released funds would reach farmers and questioned COCOBOD's preparedness for the next cocoa season, which is expected to begin in about a month's time.

"At this point, we cannot even be certain that this new GH¢2.6 billion will actually reach the farmers. We are barely a month away from the start of the new cocoa season, yet the previous year's supplies remain unpaid. How can COCOBOD successfully fund and buy the upcoming main cocoa season under these conditions?" he asked.

Mohammed further argued that many cocoa farmers had already exhausted their financial resources while waiting for payment and had been forced to rely on high-interest loans to survive.

"Even if this money is finally paid, no cocoa farmer will be left with anything. They have already exhausted everything trying to survive on high-interest loans during this long wait," he said.

He concluded by warning that the delays in payments were having a serious impact on the livelihoods of cocoa farmers across the country.

"We are playing politics with the livelihood of over four million people," he added.

ANAS/EB

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