COCOBOD to provide scholarships for wards of farmers in tertiary institutions
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Randy Abbey, has assured cocoa farmers that the government would provide scholarships for the children of cocoa farmers pursuing tertiary education, beginning in September 2026.
He explained that the modalities of the scholarship scheme were being finalised and would be officially announced by mid-2026.
He stated that the initiative would ensure that every child of a cocoa farmer is eligible for free tertiary education under the Cocoa Scholarship Programme.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the Cocoa, Coffee and Shea Nut Association, and 2025 National Cocoa Award Winners in Accra last Friday, Dr Abbey said the government was committed to supporting cocoa farmers to boost production.
“This scholarship was specifically designed for cocoa farmers, and I was confident that by mid-2026 the details would be announced to enable it to take effect from the September 2026 academic admissions,” he said.
Unfortunate situation
Congratulating the farmers, Dr Abbey stated that it was unfortunate that cocoa prices remained high on the international market for about 18 months. Yet, Ghanaian cocoa farmers were unable to fully benefit from the surge.
He said the rise in price was historic and should have translated into better earnings for farmers, but this did not happen, largely due to supply and delivery challenges.
He said COCOBOD sold cocoa at about $2,600 per tonne in 2023, but the country failed to deliver 333,000 tonnes, while in the 2024/2025 season, cocoa was sold on the global market at between $8,000 and $10,000 per tonne, even though the declared Free On Board (FOB) price was only about $3,100.
He cautioned that with international cocoa prices now declining, failure to act prudently could see Ghana’s FOB prices fall further by 2026, to the detriment of farmers.
"Although cocoa farmers did not benefit from the surge in prices on the international market, COCOBOD was also running at a loss in service loans," he said.
Cocoa roads
On cocoa roads, Dr Abbey stated that the government had directed COCOBOD to withdraw from road construction after it entered into contracts valued at GH¢26 billion without secured funding to execute them.
He explained that during the 2018/2019 cocoa season, the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC) made no allocation for road projects, yet COCOBOD still awarded road contracts amounting to GH¢231 million and $1.175 billion.
He said that over three years — spanning the 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons — COCOBOD awarded road contracts totalling $21.5 billion.
“These are the conditions under which we assumed office, and they are now creating serious challenges for us,” he said.
He added that despite the difficulties, the government would continue to support farmers by providing free fertiliser, agrochemicals and spraying machines to boost cocoa production.
Farmers’ challenges
The President of the National Cocoa Farmers Association, Charles Gyamfi, speaking on behalf of the farmers, outlined several pressing challenges confronting cocoa farmers across the country.
He explained that some of these concerns included the manipulation of weighing scales to cheat farmers, inadequate rural electrification, and the poor state of cocoa roads, among other longstanding issues.
Mr Gyamfi said there was a need for stronger regulatory oversight to protect farmers from unfair practices that reduced their earnings.
He called on the government to fast-track the expansion of the scholarship scheme for children of cocoa farmers, urging that it be extended beyond the senior high school level to fully cover tertiary education.
