Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Chief Executive (CE) of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), says over 44,769 farms would be released to about 29,441 farmers across the 57 cocoa districts in the country. The over 44,769 farms were diseased farms that underwent treatment.
Mr. Aidoo disclosed this during the inauguration of the governing council of the Bunso Cocoa College in Accra yesterday.
He recounted the numerous challenges the board has had to face in its quest to build a resilient cocoa sector, saying “however, it is refreshing to note that amidst the myriad of issues, great steps have been taken to position the sector on a path of recovery and development. While some of these steps have immediate effects, others have rather future impacts on the industry.”
On the inauguration, he said the college would be graduated to the status of a university to provide the needed support for farmers in the cocoa sector.
He said: “we find a big space for products from the College to support farmers to establish their farms, especially against the backdrop that most cocoa farmers in Ghana are absentee farmers.
Again, the concept of the cocoa plantation advocacy, which the Board is encouraging provides yet another grey area that our students can explore to bring their rich knowledge to bear.”
As the Chancellor, Mr. Aidoo was hopeful that the inauguration of the Governing Council of the Bunso Cocoa College would add another layer of building the governance structure of the institute to realise robustness in its function of producing the right calibre of students to support the sustainability of the cocoa sector.
Dr Ebenezer Owusu, Deputy CE Agronomy and Qualify Control (A&QC), chairman of the Council, thanked the Chancellor and promised to discharge their duties in accordance with the law and the policy of the college.
He added that they will do their very best to stir the affairs of the college to promote a learning environment that supports outcomes.
The Council is made up of eight members and they are: Dr Mercy Asamoah, Rector, Francis Cudjoe, Dr. Michael Obour Opoku, programmes coordinator lecturers, Armstrong Kwame Morny, Emmanuella Akosua Asamoah, Alumni, and Samuel Owusu, SRC president.
Others are Rev. Prof. Asare Danso, a senior retired lecturer of University of Cape Coast (UCC), Mr Yaw Akrofi, a retired principal Research Scientist at CRIG, Dr. Eureka Emefa Ahadjie Adomako, senior lecturer, Department of Plant and Environment Biology, University of Ghana and two others from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and UCC.
