News:
July 30, 2026
Kwabena Onyina Acheampong, MP for Kwabre East, has criticised the Majority’s push to rush the Cocoa Board Bill through Parliament, warning that the lack of proper stakeholder engagement will compromise the quality of the legislation.
The bill, which seeks to repeal and replace the Ghana Cocoa Board Act of 1984 (PNDCL 81), was presented to Parliament today, with the Majority reportedly aiming for a same-day passage.
Speaking in an interview, Mr Acheampong argued that the bill affects a wide range of stakeholders across the cocoa value chain, yet no extensive consultations have been conducted.
“The farmers are there, the licensed buying companies are there, the hauliers are there, the chocolate manufacturers are there, COCOBOD itself, the fragments of COCOBOD – we all have interest in this,” he stated. “They need to be brought in consultation – academia, civil society organisations – so that the quality of your solution will be top-notch. You don’t give any half-hazard solution because you think you want to run fast.”
He demanded that the government provide evidence of meetings with LBCs, chief farmers, farmer bodies, hauliers, chocolate manufacturers, and external foreign partners such as the Susana Adjei-Ti partners, including the inputs these stakeholders contributed.
Land Protection Clause Raises Concerns
The MP raised specific concerns about provisions in the bill that designate cocoa farmlands as protected land, making it an offence to transfer or rent them.
“We all know that cocoa farms are usually family lands. The system is that you give it out and once you are done with the cocoa, the land revests to the owner. So if you tell me that once there is cocoa on it, you can’t take it back – who is going to release this land to you for farming?”
He also questioned whether the government had engaged the youth, many of whom are torn between using family lands for galamsey (illegal mining) or sustaining cocoa farming for the next 15 years. “What engagements have they done with the youth?” he asked.
Criminal vs Civil: LBC Collapse Warning
Mr Acheampong highlighted a critical legal loophole that has led to the collapse of many Licensed Buying Companies.
“Before 1992, cocoa money was seen as government money and it was criminal for you to chop cocoa money. Now because private LBCs have come in, we see cocoa money as civil money. People take pre-finance money from LBCs, go and purchase cocoa, take the money, and when taken to court, they say it’s a civil matter.”
He noted that the bill fails to address this issue, which has resulted in prolonged litigation and the collapse of numerous LBCs.
Local Processing Mandate Questioned
The MP also questioned the bill’s requirement that at least 50% of cocoa beans be processed locally, a key reform announced by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.
“What extensive work have they done to see that they require the 50%? Ghana has produced over 1 million metric tons before. Does that mean when we reach that, we are automatically bound to give 500,000 metric tons to local processors? Is it not beyond their capacity?”
He argued that the processing capacity of local companies must be assessed before such a mandate is imposed.
“Productivity Levels Have Dropped”
Mr Acheampong noted that today was the first time many MPs had seen the full bill, which contains 129 clauses.
“What quality work do you want us to do now? Look at the time. We started work at 9 or 10. This morning we had a meeting with the Speaker. We’ve already done 12, 13 hours of work. Productivity levels have dropped.”
He warned that the Majority might later claim that no amendments were proposed, adding: “That is what is going to happen here – we will just rise up and go because we are tired. The quality of work will be affected.”
“If they knew this was urgent and cocoa farmers were really important, what prevented them from bringing this bill immediately we started this meeting, so that we could breathe extensively on it and make sure we are giving quality decisions and quality laws for the cocoa farmers?”
His concerns echo those of Ranking Member on Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who has also urged Parliament not to rush the bill, warning it could have “serious consequences” if stakeholders are not properly consulted.