“You Don’t Build an Economy by Betraying Farmers” – NPP’s Yaw Opoku Mensah Defends COCOBOD Legacy

Yaw Opoku Mensah, a prominent communicator for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has issued a sharp response to the ongoing criticism regarding the financial health of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD). Addressing the recent bombshell revelations about the organization’s GH¢32.9 billion debt and negative equity, Opoku Mensah argued that the government’s decisions were rooted in a commitment to the welfare of the farmers who serve as the backbone of the nation.

He challenged the narrative that the current administration has mismanaged the sector, stating that “you don’t build an economy by betraying the farmers who feed it.” According to Opoku Mensah, the significant investments made by COCOBOD including the controversial cocoa roads and the various farmer productivity enhancement programs were essential interventions designed to sustain the livelihoods of millions of Ghanaians. He maintained that these expenditures, while heavy on the balance sheet, prevented a total collapse of the rural economy.

Responding to allegations of “unfunded” road contracts, the NPP communicator suggested that the infrastructure projects were necessary to ensure that cocoa could actually be transported from remote farm gates to the ports. He emphasized that the “social cost” of neglecting these communities would have been far greater than the financial debt currently being reported.

Opoku Mensah’s comments come at a time when the opposition and various civil society organizations are calling for a total overhaul of COCOBOD’s management. While he acknowledged the current fiscal challenges, he urged critics to look at the “human impact” of the government’s policies, insisting that the priority has always been to protect the Ghanaian farmer from global market volatility and local environmental threats.