Former Minister of Water, Works and Housing under the erstwhile Kufuor administration, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, has taken as the Board Chairman of the Ghana Cocoa Board.
Mr Owusu-Agyeman who was sworn into office on Tuesday alongside other members takes over from Daniel Ohene Agyekum.
COCOBOD has since the change of government on January 7 has so much controversy with its CEO, Dr Stephen Opuni undergoing a probe by the Economic and Organised Crime Organisation (EOCO) into allegations of corruption against him.
Mr Owusu-Agyeman is an agricultural economist with vast international experience having served in various capacities at the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
Other members who were appointed to serve on the Board include Carlos Ahenkorah, Kwame Sarpong, Nana Johnson Mensah, among others.
At the brief swearing-in ceremony,  President Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated government’s commitment to increasing cocoa production in the country.Â
Promising to revive the cocoa industry, though the crop has been Ghana’s “flagship commodity on the international scale and a source of good livelihood for several generations of Ghanaian farmersâ€, interest in cocoa farming has “waned in recent years†due to several factors.
“The government and I have made a commitment to raising production levels of cocoa to at least 1 million tonnes, and to process more than 50 percent of our cocoa beans. We have committed ourselves to finding new markets and improving our cocoa value chain. We are determined to make it a lucrative industry again. We are going to need your cooperation and full involvementâ€, he said.