Former Head of Public Affairs at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Fiifi Boafo, has alleged that all top directors of COCOBOD have been asked to stay home with pay by Dr Ransford Anertey Abbey, the Acting Chief Executive.
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According to him, the directors affected are not political appointees but career professionals with more than 15 years of service at COCOBOD.
Speaking in an interview shared on social media, Boafo claimed that the directors have been replaced by persons affiliated with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), who are also receiving salaries.
“Do you know what Randy Abbey has done? He has asked all directors of COCOBOD to stay home with monthly pay, and he has replaced them with NDC members who are also being paid.”
Boafo cited specific cases to support his claims.
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“Vincent Okyere Akomeah was a director, but now he is at home and still being paid. The President has replaced him with someone else who is also on the payroll.
“His deputies, Paul Kofi and Frederick Amponsah Doku, are also affected. Frederick was promoted to director, but now he, too, is home, still receiving a salary. The Director of Finance has been replaced, and the Director of Legal has also been replaced. Almost all the directors have been replaced and asked to sit at home while being paid,” he alleged.
Boafo stressed that most of the affected directors are in their mid-40s, far from retirement age, and none of them were political appointees.
“These are not political appointments; not a single one of them has worked at COCOBOD for less than 15 years. Some have served for 20 and others for as many as 25 years.”
He further warned that sidelining such experienced officials could negatively affect the institution.
“The danger is that during meetings, these people could have contributed with their knowledge, but now they are home doing nothing and still being paid. Later, they will come and tell us that COCOBOD is in debt. How won’t you accumulate debt with all these payments?” he questioned.
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