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An emergency cabinet meeting has been convened by President John Dramani Mahama for Wednesday, February 11, 2026, to discuss the deteriorating situation in Ghana’s cocoa industry.
On Tuesday, February 10, 2026, Minister of State Felix Kwakye Ofosu, who is in charge of Government Communications, posted on Facebook to announce the meeting.
Concerns over late payments to cocoa farmers and general financial strain in the industry are driving the action.
In order to stabilise the industry, the government and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) have been urged to act immediately by the minority in parliament, which has frequently raised alarms about the situation.
The government and COCOBOD have come under fire from Isaac Yaw Opoku, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, for their failure to compensate Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), a delay that has left many farmers without payment for several months.
He said that more than GH¢10 billion is currently owing to LBCs, which buy cocoa beans for COCOBOD.
This limits the firms’ capacity to compensate farmers and jeopardises the sustainability of cocoa buying operations.
Farmers all around the country are angry about the payment delays, and some are demanding that the arrears be paid immediately.
Cocoa farmers have also voiced their displeasure with COCOBOD’s promises to resolve the matter, and they are pleading with the board to fulfil its commitments and make payments as soon as possible.
COCOBOD has responded to the problem by stating that it has started paying LBCs so they can pay farmers who still owe them money.
In order to achieve long-term stability, the board is also looking at new financial arrangements.
It is anticipated that government actions to alleviate the liquidity issues in the cocoa value chain will be the main topic of the emergency cabinet meeting.
Source: newsthemegh.com
