The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has announced plans to undertake an internal audit of its staff strength to determine the exact number of employees on its payroll and assess their roles.

The exercise is expected to establish whether the regulator’s workforce exceeds 10,000 and whether staff are appropriately assigned to their portfolios.

The Head of Public Affairs at COCOBOD, Jerome Sam, confirmed the development in an interview with Citi Business News.

He explained that the audit forms part of efforts by the Chief Executive Officer, Randy Abbey, to reposition the institution after inheriting what he described as an ailing cocoa sector.

“It is not even about the numbers. If we unearth that the over 10,000 staff are each productive and efficient in what they are doing, that is fine,” he said.

“But if, upon a forensic or Human Resource audit, it is revealed that we can operate effectively with 5,000, 1,000 or even 500 people, and that will ensure the sustenance of the industry, then so be it,” Jerome Sam added.

He stressed that the Chief Executive is committed to leaving behind a buoyant and viable cocoa industry.

“The HR audit will ascertain whether we indeed have over 10,000 permanent staff, as the Chief Executive was presented with. Beyond that, it will determine whether all these staff members warrant the portfolios they currently occupy. This is important, and it will be done,” he said.

The planned audit comes at a time when COCOBOD is implementing austerity measures in response to liquidity challenges within the cocoa sector.

As part of these measures, members of the Executive Management have taken a 20 per cent salary reduction, while Senior Staff have accepted a 10 per cent pay cut.

At a recent press briefing, Dr. Abbey disclosed that the institution operates with about 10,200 permanent staff and approximately 8,000 contract and casual employees across its subsidiaries and divisions.

The internal review is expected to inform possible restructuring measures aimed at improving efficiency and ensuring the long-term sustainability of Ghana’s cocoa sector.