Cocoa farmers across the country are appealing to the government to reintroduce the cocoa farmers’ scholarship scheme to support the education of their children, particularly at the tertiary level.

The call was made during a courtesy visit to the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) by the leadership of the Best Farmers Association. Addressing the meeting, the association’s president, Charles Gyamfi, noted that the scholarship scheme, which previously benefitted children of cocoa farmers, came to an end following the introduction of the Free Senior High School policy.

According to him, while the Free SHS programme has eased the burden at the secondary level, children of cocoa farmers now face significant challenges in accessing tertiary education due to financial constraints. He therefore appealed to the government to consider extending a dedicated scholarship scheme to the tertiary level, to enable farmers’ children to fully benefit from the proceeds of their parents’ labour.

Mr. Gyamfi also called on the government to prioritise the extension of electricity and other basic social amenities to cocoa-growing rural communities. He explained that the lack of such infrastructure continues to drive youth migration to urban centres in search of better living conditions.

He stressed that improving rural amenities would encourage young people to remain in their communities and actively participate in farming, thereby ensuring the sustainability of the cocoa sector and securing livelihoods in cocoa-growing areas.