Speaking at Jejeti in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region, Dr. Otokunor told cocoa farmers that under the former government, scholarship schemes designed to benefit children of cocoa farmers were halted.
According to him, the funds that were originally allocated to support the education of farmers’ wards were instead used to pay contractors to construct roads in communities where cocoa is not cultivated.
He explained that the scholarship programme was introduced to ease the financial burden on cocoa farmers and to ensure that their children could access quality education.
The initiative, he noted, formed part of broader efforts to improve the welfare of cocoa-producing families and to reward them for their contribution to Ghana’s economy.
Dr. Otokunor stressed that cocoa farmers remain the backbone of the country’s agricultural export sector and deserve targeted interventions that directly impact their lives.
He assured the farmers gathered at Jejeti that the current administration is committed to restoring policies that prioritize their welfare, including educational support for their children and investments in cocoa-growing communities.
He further encouraged the farmers to remain patient and continue their work diligently, promising that government interventions would be structured to address their concerns.
His comments were met with mixed reactions, as some farmers expressed hope for the revival of the scholarship programme while others called for immediate action to support cocoa production and improve living conditions in cocoa-growing arareas.