These village societies are the self-standing units of Kuapa Kokoo, each with its own distinctive character, based on its style and size and the particular history of its formation. All are based on the principles of grassroots and participatory democracy, transparency and open decision making (keeping minutes is a society rule). Members elect their own Village Committee which is responsible for making decisions on behalf of the village.
Each society employs a "recorder" who is responsible for recording, weighing and bagging the cocoa from the village. All Kuapa Kokoo Village Society employees are directly accountable to the elected Village Society Committee. This contrasts directly with other cocoa companies whose buying agents often cheat the farmers, for example by using scales biased in their own favour. The Kuapa Kokoo operating structure and line of direct accountability, in addition to their practice of using scales easily understood by illiterate farmers, is highly valued by members.
Regional Councils These are groupings of regional leaders, elected by Village Societies in each region which then represent that region at national level. As the Kuapa Kokoo grows and the trading system becomes more decentralised, the role of these groupings as supervisors and leaders is becoming more significant.
Kuapa Kokoo Union is a national body which is represented and run by 13 farmers elected by the village societies, grouped from the various cocoa growing regions. At least four must be women. They must be currently practicing cocoa farmers to serve at Council level. They hold their AGM every year where representatives from every village attend to represent their village.
Kuapa Kokoo Limited is the trading arm of Kuapa Kokoo. It is a limited trading company with most of the shares owned by the Union and a small percentage resting still with a number of the founding farmers. There is a professional, statutorily employed staff with formal terms and conditions of service. The Trading Company Board is made up of four elected farmers representatives from the Union Council, one Managing Director and one external adviser. Kuapa Kokoo Limited buys the cocoa from the village societies and sells it to the Government buying company, Cocobod, on behalf of the farmers.
The Kuapa Kokoo Farmer's Trust is a separate but formally constituted institution which exists to promote wider advances and development of the Union: for example the functioning of the trading company, sustainable agronomy and community development projects. Four members of the elected Union Council serve on its Board of Trustees. In addition there is a seat for one senior management staff member of Kuapa Kokoo Limited and three external advisers specially selected for project and development skills from Ghana's banking, agronomy and development community.
The money in the Trust Fund comes from the difference between the world market price and the fair trade premium price. Communities submit proposals to the Trust Fund, for example income generating projects or social infrastructure projects. These are then voted on, based on the benefit to farmers. So far they have initiated 12 community projects including piped water supplies to villages, public conveniences and gender relation projects.
The Kuapa Kokoo Credit Union was established in 2000 as the financial services arm of Kuapa. It operates within the existing infrastructure of KKL in order to save costs. Initially KKCU will mobilise savings and extend loans to its members at competitive rates. It will educate and encourage its members to cultivate savings culture and promote careful use of money. In the long run it will also provide other services such as insurance and micro-leasing. |