Galamsey robs you of your future pensions – Head of COCOBOD Public Affairs Dept tells cocoa farmers

Mr. Stephen Fiifi Boafo, Head of Public Affairs at COCOBOD, has reiterated the devastating socioeconomic effects of illegal mining (galamsey) on the future livelihoods of cocoa cultivators in the country.

Illegal miners, according to him, deprive farmers of their lifetime earnings and the legacies they could leave to future generations. Although perpetrators of illicit mining activities make tempting promises to cocoa farmers, luring them to give up their cocoa farms, he said these innocent farmers are now impoverished and have nothing to rely on upon retirement.

Therefore, the Head of Public Affairs urged cocoa farmers to resist any attempt by illegal miners to persuade them to sell their land, which would ultimately deprive them of their lifetime investments.

Mr. Boafo made this remark while speaking at a ceremony organized by the management of Goldfields Ghana Limited to distribute agro-inputs to some cocoa cultivators in their catchment areas.


Mr. Boafo reminded farmers of the various measures the government, in conjunction with the Ghana Cocoa Board and the National Pension Regulatory Authority (NPRA), is implementing to improve the lives of cocoa farmers, particularly in retirement.

The introduction of the Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme is intended to safeguard your future and provide you with a reasonable retirement income. As with other pension schemes, your monthly earnings will depend on your contributions; therefore, if you sell your cocoa farms for mining, you will be denying yourself and future generations the opportunity to earn respectable livings", he added.

In addition to the Pension Scheme, he noted that COCOBOD is implementing a number of farmer-supporting interventions, including cocoa mass spraying, cocoa rehabilitation, pruning, manual pollination, and highly subsidized fertilisers.

According to him, these impose enormous costs on the government, hence the need to protect the future of the cocoa industry through the eradication of illicit mining.

Mr. Fiifi Boafo praised Goldfields Ghana Limited's Cocoa Farmers Foundation Support Programme, stating that other mining companies should follow suit.

He noted that mining and cocoa production had coexisted peacefully over the years until the increase in illegal mining activities.

Mr. Fiifi Boafo believed that the example of Goldfields Ghana Limited demonstrated that responsible mining can go a long way toward enhancing our ecosystem and supporting other environmental activities, such as farming.

"Permit me to commend the management of Goldfields Ghana Limited for this kind act toward our cocoa producers. It is my expectation that our beneficiary farmers will respond similarly by applying these inputs meticulously to their farms in order to obtain yields."

The Gold Fields Ghana producers Foundation Support Programme provided agro inputs to approximately 240 beneficiary producers.