A civil society organization, United Voices for Change, has called for the immediate removal of the CEO of Ghana Cocoa Board from office for what they describe as incompetence and mismanagement of COCOBOD.
Convener for the group, Slyvestine Ronald, has questioned the President for Dr. Joseph Aidoo’s continuous stay in office after leading COCOBOD to great losses over the years.
“We call for the dismissal of Dr. Joseph Aidoo CEO of COCOBOD with immediate effect. He has presided throughout financial decline and recklessness and has failed to fulfill his mandate of profitability and revenue,” said Slyvestine.
He asserted under the watch of Dr Aidoo, COCOBOD has incurred losses never witnessed in the country.
“In 2017, COCOBOD made a loss of GHS 161.3 million, although its revenues had increased to GHS 10.25 billion from GHS 9.15 billion in the previous year. The company also made losses of GHS 78.22 million in 2018, GHS 320.57 million in 2019, GHS 426.32 million in 2020, and a staggering GHS 2.44 billion in losses in 2021.
“Meanwhile, this was a company that had made reasonable profits of GHS 329.3 million and GHS 152.15 million in 2014 and 2015 respectively. The losses which began in 2016 are ballooning by the years, reaching GHS 2.44 billion in 2021,” he explained.
The organization also blames President Akufo-Addo for the constant losses incurred by State Owned Enterprises as well as the surge to privatize most SOEs which are sold cheaply to cronies of the ruling government.
United Voices for Change therefore calls for apt measures to be put in place to rescue the already deteriorating SOE as it is a major avenue to employ most of the unemployed youth.
To make the SOEs function again, the CSO says all CEOs who are sleeping on the job should be sacked.