Communications Team Member of the New Patriotic Party in Canada, Edwin Okyere Boateng, has criticised government’s handling of Ghana’s cocoa sector, accusing it of sidelining cocoa in favour of gold despite the crop’s long-standing contribution to the national economy.
Speaking on ABC In The Morning on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, Mr Okyere Boateng argued that the current challenges facing the cocoa sector were neither sudden nor unavoidable, insisting that warning signs had been evident for years but were ignored.
“We should have had a plan before this thing caught up with us,” he said. “The signs were clear we were going to get to this point, but we neglected them.”
According to him, successive policy choices have failed to reflect the importance of cocoa, Ghana’s traditional foreign exchange earner, leaving farmers exposed and the industry vulnerable. He questioned the government’s priorities, suggesting that greater attention has been placed on gold at the expense of cocoa.
“What priorities are we giving to the one that is earning us so much all this while?” he asked. “For so many years, cocoa has been our major source of income, yet we don’t prioritise the cocoa sector as it is supposed to be prioritised.”
His comments come against the backdrop of President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to convene an emergency Cabinet meeting to address the worsening situation in the cocoa industry, a move that underscores the gravity of the crisis.
Beyond cocoa, Mr Okyere Boateng also linked the broader agricultural policy gaps to Ghana’s persistent food insecurity challenges. He warned that unless farmers are deliberately prioritised and adequately supported, food insecurity will continue to plague the country.
“If we don’t prioritise our farmers and invest in their activities, this problem will persist,” he cautioned.
His remarks comes amid concerns raised in the latest Quarterly Food Insecurity Report, which indicates that food insecurity in Ghana remains volatile and unevenly distributed. As of the third quarter of 2025, an estimated 12.5 million people were affected, despite a slight improvement earlier in the year.
