The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged President John Dramani Mahama to withhold his assent to the Ghana Cocoa Board Bill, 2026, and return it to Parliament for broader stakeholder consultation.
The party says the Bill was passed hastily without adequate engagement with cocoa farmers, landowners and other key stakeholders in the cocoa industry.
Ranking Member on Parliament’s Agriculture Committee and Co-Chairman of the NPP Policy Committee on Agriculture, Dr Isaac Yaw Opoku, made the call at a press conference at the party’s headquarters on Sunday, August 9, 2026.
According to him, the Bill, which seeks to repeal the Ghana Cocoa Board Law, 1984 (PNDC Law 81), introduces major changes to the governance and regulation of the cocoa sector.
He noted that the proposed legislation includes new governance arrangements, the establishment of a tribunal and the creation of new offences.
Dr Opoku said the Bill was laid before Parliament on July 28 and passed within the same week, leaving little opportunity for meaningful consultation with farmers and other stakeholders.
“We urge His Excellency the President to withhold his assent to the Ghana Cocoa Board Bill, 2026, and return the same to Parliament for broader stakeholder consultation,” he said.
The NPP also expressed concern over provisions in the Bill that restrict the destruction or uprooting of cocoa trees without prior authorisation.
Dr Opoku argued that the requirement could place unnecessary restrictions on farmers seeking to manage their farms, particularly when removing diseased, unproductive or old cocoa trees.
He questioned why farmers should be required to obtain prior approval from the Ghana Cocoa Board before removing trees they consider no longer productive or suitable for cultivation.
The NPP maintained that legislation with significant implications for cocoa farmers and the operations of the industry must undergo extensive consultation before it becomes law.
The party further warned that the proposed legislation could have consequences not only for current cocoa farmers but also for the future sustainability of Ghana’s cocoa industry, which remains a major contributor to the national economy.
It is therefore calling on President Mahama to return the Bill to Parliament to allow for further scrutiny and broader engagement with cocoa farmers, landowners and other industry stakeholders before it is reconsidered.