The Ghana Cooperative Marketing Association (GCMA) is requesting the Mahama-led government to implement the decade-long white paper declaration on the restoration of all its lost assets.
According to the group, successive governments have failed to enforce the directive issued during ex-President John Kufuor’s administration in 2009, which directed the restoration of their properties and the payment of rental arrears.
Addressing the media in Kumasi, the Association described the situation as a grave injustice that violates the rule of law, undermines cooperative principles, and deepens household poverty.
Managing Director of GCMA, Awuley Felix Addico, noted that the non-implementation of the directive has caused significant hardship to hundreds of thousands of Ghanaian farmers, workers, retirees, and their families.
“The Ghana Cooperative Marketing Association is not just a farmers’ association; it represents the collective voice, sweat, and survival of over 911,000 Ghanaian cocoa farmers and cooperative members across the country,” he stated.
Mr. Addico further emphasized that GCMA remains a significant part of Ghana’s economic history, noting that it was the first indigenous cocoa buying and trading organization established more than 81 years ago.
He explained that the association was founded by ordinary Ghanaian farmers who believed in ownership, fairness, and self-determination to see the nation thrive.
Mr. Addico, however, lamented that the once vibrant institution now stands dispossessed, with all its properties allegedly occupied by state institutions and private individuals without proper compensation or legal authority.
He cited some infrastructure at various locations across the country currently occupied without legal rights.
“The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) continues to occupy several of our properties nationwide without paying market-rent. The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) at Adum – Kumasi, as its regional office is being occupied without compensation.
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) occupy the eight-storey Ghana Cooperative Bank building near COCOBOD in Accra Central without paying rent, despite the 2009 directive for restoration,” Mr. Addico highlighted.
The Association is therefore calling on the President to personally intervene and ensure the full implementation of the 2009 White Paper on the restoration of their assets.
They also urged the Attorney-General’s Department to provide clear legal guidance on enforcement mechanisms while calling on COCOBOD, ADB, SSNIT, and all other entities occupying their properties to comply immediately with the directives.
