COCOBOD Executive Management, Senior Staff Take 20% and 10% Salary Cuts Amid Liquidity Pressures
COCOBOD’s Executive Management and Senior Staff have agreed to temporary salary cuts for the rest of the 2025/26 cocoa crop season, attributing the decision to cash flow difficulties within the cocoa industry.
In a statement released on Monday, February 16, 2026, the Ghana Cocoa Board announced that its Executive Management has accepted a 20 percent reduction in pay, while Senior Staff will take a 10 percent cut.
The Board explained that the measure forms part of a broader cost-saving strategy designed to curb spending and ensure that operational expenses better reflect current revenue levels.
“The Executive Management and Senior Staff of COCOBOD have, effective Monday, February 16, 2026, agreed to reduce their salaries for the remainder of the 2025/26 crop year in recognition of the liquidity constraints facing the cocoa sector,” the statement said.
COCOBOD noted that the salary adjustments, together with other interventions, are intended to ease pressure on its finances.
“This decision, along with additional cost-reduction measures in procurement and an ongoing staff rationalisation exercise, is aimed at lowering COCOBOD’s overall expenditure and aligning costs with revenue,” the statement added.
The development comes at a time when the cocoa sector is facing increasing challenges, including escalating operational costs, concerns about farmer welfare, and growing public scrutiny of cocoa pricing and COCOBOD’s financial standing.
In recent weeks, cocoa has featured prominently in national discussions, amid disputes over producer prices and wider concerns about the long-term sustainability of cocoa farming. Observers have also pointed to the strain of financing cocoa purchases, rising operational expenses, and the impact of global price fluctuations on income.
COCOBOD’s decision to implement pay cuts at the top level is therefore being presented as an internal response to liquidity pressures in the industry, as management moves to rein in costs through procurement reforms and workforce adjustments.
The statement, issued by the Chief Executive, did not indicate the size of the liquidity shortfall or quantify the savings expected from the salary reductions.
Nevertheless, the move is seen as an attempt by management to signal shared sacrifice while pursuing broader restructuring initiatives during the current crop year. COCOBOD said the salary reductions will remain in effect until the close of the 2025/26 crop season.
