“What Does a Ga Man Have to Do With Cocoa?”: KOKA Questions Randy Abbey’s Competence to Lead COCOBOD
- NPP supporter KOKA has questioned Dr Randy Abbey’s leadership of COCOBOD, citing his background as a Ga man
- He has called for the CEO's removal, arguing that cocoa should be managed by those who understand the sector
- Dr Abbey, a seasoned journalist and sports administrator, has served as the head of the cocoa board since 2025
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A staunch supporter of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwaku Osei Korankye Asiedu, popularly known as KOKA, has questioned Dr Randy Abbey's competence to lead the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Speaking to a content creator recently, KOKA suggested that the cocoa board's CEO, Dr Abbey, did not understand the sector because of his background as a Ga man, being an indigene of the Greater Accra Region.
Source: Facebook
He consequently called for the sacking of Dr Abbey as CEO of COCOBOD, citing what he described as a lack of understanding of the sector.
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“Is it not John Dramani Mahama who questioned what the Ga people would need technology for? I want to find out: Randy Abbey, a Ga man, what does he have to do with the cocoa farm?” he said.
“Let's give cocoa to people who understand the sector, just as we advocate for harbour jobs to be given to individuals with the requisite knowledge and understanding of the industry,” he added.
See the X post below:
Issues affecting Ghana’s cocoa sector
KOKA commented about Dr Randy Abbey's leadership while sharing his views on the challenges facing cocoa farmers in the country.
Ghana’s cocoa sector is undergoing a major overhaul, driven by a global price slump and a debt crisis at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Addressing a press conference on February 12, 2026, the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, announced that the government would slash the producer price of cocoa beans for the remainder of the 2025/2026 season.
The new price, he said, would be GH¢2,587 per bag (GH¢41,392 per tonne), down from the previous GH¢3,625 per bag promised in 2025.
Dr Ato Forson explained that global cocoa prices had fallen by nearly 70 per cent from their late-2024 peak, dropping below the US$6,400 per tonne needed to cover farm-to-port costs.
To soften the blow, he said that farmers would receive 90 per cent of the gross Free On Board (FOB) price, exceeding the standard 70 per cent minimum.
The Finance Minister also announced a draft set of reforms the government intends to roll out to defray COCOBOD’s outstanding debt of approximately GH¢32 billion.
In addition, President Mahama has directed the Attorney-General to conduct a forensic audit and criminal investigation into COCOBOD’s operations over the past eight years.
Is Randy Abbey qualified to helm COCOBOD?
Dr Randy Abbey is a prominent Ghanaian broadcast journalist, sports administrator, and an Executive Council member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA).
He is also the current Chairman of the Black Stars Management Committee and the president and majority shareholder of the Kpando Heart of Lions Football Club.
Before he was appointed COCOBOD CEO by President Mahama in 2025, Dr Abbey hosted the Good Morning Ghana show on Metro TV for over 20 years, stepping down in early 2025.
The current cocoa board boss holds an MBA in General Management from the Australian Institute of Business and a Doctorate from the SBS Swiss Business School in Zurich.
An alumnus of Accra Academy SHS, he also has an advanced certificate in Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing from the Ghana Institute of Journalism, now known as the University of Media Arts and Communication (UniMAC).
Before this, Dr Abbey earned a certificate in Human Resource Management and Public Administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA).
Source: Facebook
COCOBOD cuts salaries of executive management
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that COCOBOD had announced a 20% salary reduction for its executive management members in response to the liquidity challenges facing the Ghanaian cocoa sector.
He said that pay cuts, which take immediate effect, would remain in place for the rest of the 2025/2026 cocoa season, as part of broader cost-containment measures aimed at aligning expenses with revenue.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
