COCOBOD's Unrealised Potential

Ghana is the second-largest producer of cocoa in the world. The Ghana cocoa sector is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Together with Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana produces about 60 per cent of the cocoa that sustains the USD 130 billion global chocolate industry. Yet, the human rights and welfare of people living and working in Ghana's cocoa-growing communities remain unrealised. Most of the approximately 800,000 cocoa farmers in the country live in poverty, and the use of children in cocoa...
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Ghana is the second-largest producer of cocoa in the world. The Ghana cocoa sector is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Together with Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana produces about 60 per cent of the cocoa that sustains the USD 130 billion global chocolate industry. Yet, the human rights and welfare of people living and working in Ghana's cocoa-growing communities remain unrealised. Most of the approximately 800,000 cocoa farmers in the country live in poverty, and the use of children in cocoa production is widespread. Unsustainable farming practices have also devastated the environment, contributing to deforestation, rainfall loss, and wildlife and plant species' decimation.In 2019, Ghana received a USD 600 million syndicated loan from the African Development Bank and other private lenders to maximize cocoa production and improve farmers' livelihoods. As a prerequisite for obtaining the loan, the government agency that runs Ghana's cocoa industry, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), established an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) with a grievance and redress mechanism. The ESMS aims to identify and manage environmental and social risks and opportunities to protect the environment and improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and others in Ghana's cocoa sector. This report examines COCOBOD's ESMS and its component grievance and redress mechanism. The report finds that the grievance and redress mechanism could be a powerful tool for cocoa farmers, workers, and their communities. However, to date, the ESMS and its grievance and redress mechanism remain unfulfilled promises. To fulfil its commitments and begin realising its potential, COCOBOD must fully implement the ESMS and its grievance and redress mechanism to promote human rights, welfare, and the environment in Ghana's cocoa-growing communities.