The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) wishes to address and clarify misconceptions arising from the recent inauguration of the COCOBOD Education Trust.

1. On Monday, 20th May 2024, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Peter Mac Manu, inaugurated a five-member Board of Trustees for the newly established COCOBOD Education Trust. This new Trust represents a system designed to utilize funds previously allocated to the Cocoa Scholarship Scheme, which has seen changes in relevance following the introduction of the free Senior High School (SHS) policy in 2017.

2. The Cocoa Scholarship Scheme was established to support wards of cocoa farmers to pursue secondary education. However, with the introduction of the free senior high school policy, this scheme is no longer necessary. The COCOBOD Education Trust is a new initiative that will utilize the funds allocated to the scholarship scheme to support education in other ways.

3. The COCOBOD Education Trust is aimed at providing resources and infrastructure for basic schools in cocoa-growing communities and helping to bridge the infrastructure gap between schools in deprived areas and those in urban centers.

4. We understand there are concerns among the public, perceiving this new system as a failure or collapse of the Scholarship Scheme that has supported the education of many prominent Ghanaians for more than 70 years.
We assure the public that our commitment to supporting education in Ghana remains unwavering. The COCOBOD Education Trust is a new chapter in our efforts to support the education of wards of cocoa farmers, and we are confident that it will make a positive impact on the lives of many.

5. The COCOBOD Education Trust is therefore not a termination of the Board’s educational support programs, but a diversification to better serve evolving educational needs in rural communities, including the provision of essential facilities such as classrooms, libraries, teachers' bungalows, among others, and ensuring a conducive learning environment for children.

6. The COCOBOD Education Trust is a strategic initiative to build on the successes of the past while introducing innovative methods to meet the evolving needs of our beneficiaries.

ISSUED BY:
PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT