The Chief of Woman No Good, a farming community nestled in the heart of the Amenfi West district, has bluntly challenged the government to arrest and prosecute members of the previous administration accused of misappropriating cocoa funds.
Speaking with the grit of a man whose livelihood depends on the soil, the Chief expressed deep fatigue over the ongoing “blame game” between successive governments.
He outrightly rejected claims that massive debts left at COCOBOD are the justification for the recent drastic reductions in producer prices.
These remarks came to light during an engagement between local cocoa farmers and Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, the Director of Presidential Initiatives in Agriculture and Agribusiness.
While Dr. Otokunor may have expected the usual protocol of grievances and requests, he instead met a wall of unwavering loyalty to the truth as the farmers see it.
The core of the contention
for the farmers of Amenfi West, “debt” is not just a figure on a balance sheet in Accra; they view it as a convenient narrative used to explain away current economic challenges.
They signaled that they are no longer satisfied with verbal assurances or PowerPoint presentations.
Addressing the claims of the previous administration’s mismanagement, the Chief issued a blunt ultimatum:
“I am standing on behalf of all the cocoa farmers here to tell you that the previous government, which was handling COCOBOD, did not leave any debt behind.
Until you prove it to us by arresting those responsible, we will not believe you.”
Chief of Woman No Good
The Chief’s message was simple: If money was stolen or mismanaged as purported, where are the consequences?
He questioned why no punitive measures have been taken against the alleged perpetrators if the evidence of debt is so clear.
This encounter highlights a growing trend in Ghana’s cocoa belt: an informed and vocal grassroots.
Farmers are becoming increasingly aware of the global cocoa market and the internal mechanics of COCOBOD yet they are demanding a level of transparency that matches the back-breaking labor they put into every sack of beans.
As Dr. Otokunor continues his tour of the Western Region, the echoes of Woman No Good will surely follow him.
By 1960news.com
