Ghana’s Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has been elected the first Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire Cocoa Initiative.
The two countries unanimously elected Dr Afriyie Akoto to chair the Committee for the next fifteen (15) months at its first meeting in Abidjan on June 21, 2021.
His Chairmanship will span the remainder of the current cocoa season which ends in September 2021 and continue until the end of the next cocoa season in 2022.
Addressing at the ceremony, Dr. Afriyie Akoto described the meeting as historic and important since it seeks to ensure that the vision by the Presidents of the two countries – Excellencies Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire – are fully realised.
Dr Afriyie Akoto, however, expressed concern about feet dragging by some participant countries, which he noted is unfriendly and unprogressive efforts to ensure that the Living Income Differential (LID) initiative is fully realised.
He charged the participants of the meeting to ensure that all parties share the burden of compliance with the dictates of the initiative, as that is the only means to achieve the vision of President Akufo-Addo and his Ivorian counterpart.
The meeting was attended by all members of Steering Committee.
The Steering Committee is the highest decision-making body of the initiative. It is responsible for formulating rules and regulations; ensuring the smooth implementation of the charter and functioning of the Secretariat; approve all budgets and work programmes of the Initiative; approve the rights and responsibilities of member countries and resolve conflicts among the member countries.
