A leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ashanti Region, Professor Yarhands Dissou Arthur, has strongly justified the government's decision to reduce the cocoa producer price to GH¢2,587 per 64kg bag.

According to the NDC leading member, the government's decision is in the interest of the populace; hence, cocoa farmers should embrace it.

Prof Arthur, the Head of the Applied Sciences and Mathematics Department at the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (USTED), who spoke on Kumasi-based Akoma FM over the weekend, mounted a strong defence of the John Dramani Mahama-led administration on cocoa pricing.

"The NDC in opposition never promised cocoa farmers that when they come to power, we're going to increase cocoa prices. What we said was that, per the world market price at the time and our calculations, the Akufo-Addo government wasn't paying the farmers accurately and that the prices should have been increased.

"We told the Akufo-Addo government and the farmers that if we were in power, we would have done better for these farmers, and that was a conditional statement. We didn't say that when we come to power, we are going to increase cocoa prices. No! We didn't make any emphatic statement," the university don stressed.

The government has announced key reforms aimed at strengthening the cocoa sector, improving farmer livelihoods, and bolstering COCOBOD’s balance sheet.

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson explained that the decision is part of broader efforts to restore transparency and accountability in the management of the cocoa sector.

"To ensure accountability and transparency in the management of COCOBOD and the cocoa sector as a whole, Cabinet has also directed the Attorney General to commission concurrent forensic and criminal investigations into COCOBOD’s activities over the last eight years," the Minister said.

Ghana to end foreign cocoa financing - President Mahama

Understanding Ghana's stock market and how to invest | BizTech



One of the prophets who accurately predicted Dr Mahamudu Bawumia's NPP flagbearer win had a sit down with GhanaWeb. Watch it below: