Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is expected to soon allocate some 208 new apartment units to workers, following managements’ official take over of an apartment complex at its new Cocoa Village at Tema on Thursday, 17 January 2019.

In his welcome address, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Chief Executive of COCOBOD said the provision of good welfare is a very important part of the operation of COCOBOD.

As such, management is committed to resolving, as a matter of priority, the needs of workers through the provision of welfare packages, such as transportation and accommodation.

“I must place on record whilst commending the previous management and board,” Aidoo said in his address, “that originally, 192 apartment units were to be built here at US$24 million. When the new administration took over, we decided to review the cost of putting up the facilities and in doing so we amended the project contract and were able to secure an additional block which is going to give us 16 additional apartments.”

The decision by the present Board of Directors and Management to review the project resulted in some US$3 million in cost savings to the original construction price tag. Some of the saved funds were then channelled into the construction of an additional block of 16 apartment units, bringing the total to 208 apartment units.

The rest of the funds where then use to pay for major design improvements of all the apartment units. These were the provision of bathroom top cabinets, kitchen top cabinets, 2-door wardrobes for bedrooms, home lighting fixtures and ceiling fans.

The negotiation in reaching this laudable feat, the COCOBOD CEO said, was led by the Board Chairman, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman.

Aidoo expressed gratitude to the previous government for starting the project; the present government for sustaining it; the board, particularly, its Chairman for leading the negotiations which resulted in achieving greater value for money; the workers of COCOBOD for their dedication and many years of service; and most importantly, to the hardworking farmers, who he called, the foundation of the cocoa industry.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of COCOBOD, Owusu-Agyeman, asked management to set up a system to easily receive complaints from occupants and address their maintenance challenges promptly.

He also asked management to ensure a fair and transparent system for allocating the apartments to workers. “I am appealing to the chief executive to start the sharing process but let it be fair and transparent, so, that those who are entitled to it will get it.”

At the event were a number of dignitaries and invited guests, including, members of the Board of Directors of COCOBOD; members of the management and staff; representatives of the workers union of COCOBOD; the member of parliament for Tema West Constituency, Kingsley Carlos Ahenkorah; the project contractor and many others.