Yaw Opoku Mensah, NPP Communications Team member
Yaw Opoku Mensah, a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications team, has issued a stark warning regarding the stability of Ghana’s economy.
He argues that the nation risks a significant economic downturn if the government continues to delay payments to cocoa farmers, asserting that “no meaningful progress can be achieved at the expense of those who feed the nation.”
The Growing Crisis:
Frustration is reaching a breaking point across Ghana’s cocoa-growing regions.
Despite the 2025/26 crop season being well underway, thousands of farmers have reportedly gone months without compensation.
Many are still awaiting payment for deliveries made as early as November 2025.
This backlog has sparked widespread protests and urgent appeals from industry stakeholders, who fear the delays will devastate rural livelihoods and cripple future production.
The Pricing Agreement:
In October 2025, COCOBOD established a fixed price for the season, committing to pay GH¢3,625 per 64-kilogramme bag.
Contract Impact on COCOBOD:
Price per 64kg Bag GH¢3,625 (Fixed)
Market Volatility Protection Farmers are shielded from price drops.
Legal Obligation:
COCOBOD must honor this price regardless of global market shifts.
Sector Under Strain:
The delays have placed COCOBOD CEO Dr. Randy Abbey under intense scrutiny.
While Dr. Abbey has acknowledged the financial hurdles attributing the crisis to market conditions and funding gaps—the Licensed Cocoa Buyers Association of Ghana warns that these shortfalls are driving away buyers and undermining the sector’s long-term viability.
Currently, COCOBOD claims to be collaborating with the Ministry of Finance to explore new financing models and release funds to Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) to settle arrears.
Human and Economic Cost:
Mr. Opoku Mensah emphasized that cocoa remains the cornerstone of Ghana’s export economy.
He warned that failing to honor these financial commitments could undo the government’s purported economic gains.
“You do not build an economy by betraying the farmers who feed it,” Mensah stated.
He further highlighted the dangerous “distress decisions” farmers are forced to make when left without income:
Illegal Mining:
Farmers may sell their land to “galamsey” operators to survive.
Abandonment:
Disillusioned farmers may exit the industry entirely, threatening the future of Ghanaian cocoa.
Deepening Poverty:
The lack of liquidity is exacerbating hardship in rural communities.
Call to Action:
In a firm closing statement, Mr. Opoku Mensah demanded that COCOBOD immediately settle all outstanding debts under the 2025/26 agreement. He insisted that any future price adjustments must be handled with total transparency to rebuild trust.
“COCOBOD must pay now because Ghana’s economy cannot be built on broken promises”, Opoku Mensah concluded.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/Michael Ofosu-Afriyie, Kumasi.
