Ghana's Cocoa Sector Needs Unity: Presidential Summit Called

The General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU-Ghana), Morgan Ayawine, has declared that stakeholders must not “throw in the towel” on the struggling Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), warning that its collapse would undermine the very foundation of the national economy. Ayawine stated that ICU-Ghana, together with the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC), is mobilising to seek an audience with His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, to deliberate on practical support for COCOBOD and its subsidiaries, including the distressed PBC Limited. He made these remarks in a keynote address on Friday, January 16, 2026, at the Quadrennial Delegates’ Conference of the National Consultative Council of the Quality Control Company (QCC) Employees Union in Kumasi. The union leader framed the call to action within the urgent need to reclaim Ghana’s fading glory in the global cocoa market. He noted that Ghana had lost its top producer status to Côte d’Ivoire and faces the risk of being overtaken by another competitor. “This reality must serve as a wake-up call to all stakeholders in the cocoa industry to redouble our efforts and raise our standards,” Ayawine told delegates at the PSWU Centre. He emphasised the critical role of QCC employees in this revival, stressing that quality control is pivotal to maintaining Ghana’s reputation and premium pricing for cocoa beans on the international market. Ayawine called for a recommitment to excellence from management, union leadership, and staff alike. The address also highlighted the essential link between industrial harmony and productivity. Ayawine urged all parties at QCC to respect the Collective Agreement and labour laws, describing them as “indispensable” for peace and sustainability. The conference, themed “Enhancing Productivity at the Workplace - The Role of Social Partners,” was declared open with calls for solidarity and strengthened union-management relations.