By Jeremiah Nutsugah
Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency, is demanding the resignation of Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod).
During questioning before the Public Accounts Committee, Aidoo attributed the decline in cocoa production to factors such as high levels of smuggling and illegal mining (galamsey), prompting criticism from Muhammed.
Muhammed contends that Aidoo’s failure to offer concrete solutions to address these challenges warrants his resignation, stating, “If you appear before a committee like the Public Accounts Committee, you are expected to present solutions you have devised to address some of the problems.”
He criticized Aidoo for focusing solely on highlighting the problems faced by Cocobod without presenting viable solutions, insisting that new leadership is needed to address the pressing issues in Ghana’s cocoa industry.
Furthermore, Muhammed emphasized that diseases like swollen shoot have long been present and should not serve as excuses for the low cocoa production.
