A civil society organisation, United Voices for Change (UVC), has issued a strong call for the immediate removal of Dr. Joseph Aidoo, the CEO of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), citing mismanagement and significant financial losses under his leadership.
The convener for the group, Slyvestine Ronald, expressed deep concern over Dr. Aidoo’s continued tenure in office despite overseeing substantial losses within the state institution.
“We call for the dismissal of Dr. Joseph Aidoo, the CEO of COCOBOD with immediate effect. He has presided over financial decline and recklessness and has failed to fulfill his mandate of generating profit and revenue,” Ronald stated in an interview with JoyNews.
Pointing out alarming losses incurred by the institution in recent years, he cited figures indicating losses of GHS161.3 million in 2017, GHS78.22 million in 2018, GHS320.57 million in 2019, GHS32 million in 2020, and a staggering GHS2.44 billion in losses in 2021.
“These losses, which began in 2016, are ballooning by t
he years, reaching GHS2.44 billion in 2021,” Ronald explained, underscoring the severity of the financial downturn experienced by COCOBOD.
The organisation also attributed blame to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the consistent losses incurred by State Owned Enterprises (SOEs), including COCOBOD.
United Voices for Change called for urgent measures to be implemented to rescue the deteriorating state institution, highlighting its significance as a major source of employment in Ghana.
“To make the SOEs function again, the CSO says all CEOs who are sleeping on the job should be sacked,” Ronald asserted.
Source: Ghana Web
