COCOBOD Denies Donating GHC12 Million to Support Black Stars

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has denied donating an amount of GHC12 million to support the Black Stars’ World Cup participation.

It characterised the claims as false, misleading and without any factual basis.

It noted that the COCOBOD was fully committed to its core mandate of prioritising the welfare of cocoa farmers, including the prompt payment for cocoa purchases, provision of inputs, extension services, and sustained investment in the sector.

“At no point has COCOBOD diverted funds meant for farmer payments to support the Black Stars. We urge the public to disregard this misinformation and rely only on official COCOBOD communication channels for accurate and verified information,” it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Tafo Constituency, Vincent Assafuah, who made the claims, posits that the press release failed to address his allegations.

He claims that the Board approved funds to be paid to the Black Stars for the World Cup.

“Nowhere did I claim that cocoa farmers’ money was used to support the Black Stars. What I said was: how does an institution that claims to be heavily indebted and, on that basis, imposes severe hardships on cocoa farmers, turn around to approve funds for the Black Stars? These are two entirely different statements.”

“So, let them rise above the theatrics and address the substance: categorically, unequivocally, and without evasion, deny that the Board ever approved any payment to be made to the Black Stars.”

Story by Hajara Fuseini

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