The Chief of Akyem Tafo in the Eastern Region, Osabarima Adusei Peasah II, has accused the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) of sidelining the local youth in employment opportunities.

According to the chief, in recent years, CRIG has been employing individuals from outside the community through protocol arrangements, leaving many qualified natives of Akyem Tafo without jobs.

Osabarima Adusei Peasah II made these remarks during a courtesy visit by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is also the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and his entourage at his palace.

The chief expressed his concerns directly to the Vice President, calling for urgent attention to the issue.

“The CRIG of today is no longer the Institution we know. Now, whenever there is a vacancy and our youth apply they don’t employ them. They bring people from Accra. So things are not going well there for us”.

The chief also voiced concerns about the slow progress of ongoing town road projects, which began in 2020.

He pleaded with Dr. Bawumia to facilitate the completion of these projects to benefit the community.

CRIG, a division of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), was established in June 1938 at Akim Tafo.

Initially named the Tafo Central Cocoa Research Station, it was set up to address the significant problems of pests and diseases affecting cocoa production in the region.

In 1944, the station was upgraded to the West African Cocoa Research Institute (WACRI), while maintaining its headquarters at Akim Tafo with sub-stations at Moor Plantation in Ibadan, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

After the attainment of independence of Ghana and Nigeria, the inter-territorial basis of the Institute came to an end in 1962 and WACRI was accordingly dissolved.

The Government of Ghana took over the station and renamed it the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG

Over the years, CRIG’s mandate has expanded to include research into other crops, such as coffee, kola, shea nut, and cashew.