President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has schooled Afia Pokua, commonly known as Vim Lady, in the media circle following a comment attributed to her regarding the cocoa price reduction by the government.
According to Vim Lady, President Mahama’s decision to reduce the cocoa price is the biggest scandal under his current adminstration stressing that the President must rethink and reverse the decision.
The IMANI president, in his post, shared a news flyer which quoted Vim Lady saying, “Reduction in cocoa prices is the biggest scandal under this Mahama administration now. The president needs to rethink and reverse his decision”.
Reacting to the post, he argued that the cocoa price reduction is not a scandal, arguing that the government cannot give out what you don’t have, even if it was promised.
Franklin Cudjoe, in a post on X, wrote, “This is not a scandal, my dear Lady Vim! This is arithmetic at play. You cannot give out what you don’t have, even if it was promised!
The alternative being floated, which is to borrow and pay farmers the shortfall suggested by those who borrowed for many silly projects like the cathedral, overpriced dugouts and Covid-19 parties and in the process left the country in junk-rated and decorated economic stitches, is a highway to hell’s kitchen!! Heck! They even left a GHS 32billlion hole in the cocoa sector!”.
Franklin Cudjoe further proffered ideas of what must be done at COCOBOD, adding that the cocoa regulator must be downsized and restructured with world class recruitment process in the appointment of senior management.
His post added, “ That said, I believe two things must happen. COCOBOD is a huge drain on farmers due to! It is a behemoth gobbling up 30 % of all cocoa forex receipts in dodgy administrative costs and the apparent interventions to guarantee good yields. We must downsize COCOBOD to a third of its size and restructure with world class recruitment process in the appointment of senior management!
Second, we should simply adopt what obtains in Brazil. As Sitsofe Mensah recommends… The Brazilian model is a fascinating contrast to the systems in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire because it operates on a decentralised, free-market basis. 🇧🇷
Instead of a central government body setting a fixed price for the entire season, prices are determined by the daily global market and local demand.
Key Features of the Brazil Model
– Direct Market Access: Farmers or cooperatives sell directly to processors or exporters. This means when world prices are high, they see that money in their pockets immediately.
– Quality Premiums: Because it’s a competitive market, farmers who produce higher-quality or “fine” cocoa can negotiate much higher prices than the standard bulk rate.
– Risk and Reward: While farmers get the “highs” of the market, they also face the “lows” without a government cushion. They often use financial tools like hedging or forward contracts on their own to lock in prices.
– Domestic Processing: Brazil has a massive internal chocolate industry. Local factories compete with exporters for the beans, which naturally keeps local prices higher to ensure the factories stay supplied.
This “market mindset” shifts the responsibility from the state to the individual producer or cooperative.
In Ghana, the government takes on the risk but also keeps a portion of the value for “services”; in Brazil, the farmer keeps more of the value but carries all the risk.”
See the post below:
This is not a scandal, my dear Lady Vim! This is arithmetic at play. You cannot give out what you don't have even if it was promised! The alternative being floated, which is to borrow and pay farmers the shortfall suggested by those who borrowed for many silly projects like the… pic.twitter.com/IFamD7rXUz
— Franklin CUDJOE (@lordcudjoe) February 20, 2026