The Communications Directorate of Dr. Bryan Acheampong’s presidential campaign has issued a strong response to recent comments by former COCOBOD Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, on the cocoa syndication reform.
In a statement dated September 24, 2025, the Directorate described Mr. Aidoo’s remarks as inconsistent and misleading, insisting that Dr. Acheampong, as Minister for Food and Agriculture, led the policy shift that ended Ghana’s 32-year reliance on offshore syndicated loans.
According to the release, Dr. Acheampong formally presented the Cabinet memo recommending the cancellation of the syndicated loan to President Akufo-Addo, publicly championed the reform, and oversaw its implementation. The statement added that under his leadership, cocoa producer prices increased by 278 percent—from GH¢800 in 2022 to GH¢3,100 in 2024—directly benefiting farmers.
The Directorate questioned Mr. Aidoo’s credibility, noting that while he claims to have authored the reform, he also suggests he was unaware of its formal submission to Cabinet. “If he indeed spearheaded the initiative, it is illogical to suggest he was unaware of its rollout,” the statement read, describing the claim as an attempt to diminish a collective NPP achievement.
It further rejected Mr. Aidoo’s allegation that Dr. Acheampong opposed the reform, stressing that his leadership in Cabinet engagement and implementation proves otherwise.
Drawing parallels with other flagship programmes, the statement underscored that ultimate credit for policy belongs to the responsible Minister, while acknowledging the President’s overarching role in setting the national agenda.
“The credit for Free SHS rightly belongs to the Minister of Education, not the Director General of the GES. The same applies to One District One Factory and Ghana’s digital transformation. Likewise, the cocoa syndication reform was led and implemented by the Minister for Food and Agriculture,” it noted.
The Directorate emphasized that the reform, which introduced upfront payments from international buyers, has already attracted over \$4 billion in deposits for COCOBOD. It also asked why Mr. Aidoo, who served as COCOBOD CEO from 2017 to 2023, did not stop the syndicated loan during his tenure if he truly championed the idea.
Concluding, the statement called for unity within the NPP and urged all stakeholders to celebrate the cocoa syndication reform as a landmark achievement of the Akufo-Addo administration.
Story by Eugene Kwasi Nyarko
