Ghana’s cocoa crisis has now drawn the strongest moral intervention yet, as the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference issues an urgent national call to rescue the sector, describing the situation as both an economic emergency and a matter of justice.
In a press statement signed by its President, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani, the Conference expressed “grave concern” over months of delayed payments to farmers and the recent reduction in the producer price.
Across cocoa-growing regions — from Ashanti to the Western and Bono areas — farmers who delivered their produce in late 2025 are still awaiting full payment.
The consequences are stark: unpaid labourers, children withdrawn from school, rising indebtedness, and increasing vulnerability to illegal mining activities.
Licensed buying companies have cited arrears owed to them by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) as the reason for their inability to settle payments to farmers.
The Bishops insist that while international market conditions fluctuate, farmers must not bear the full burden of systemic and historical failures.
“Equity and justice demand that accumulated surpluses from windfall years be used to cushion farmers in difficult years,” the Statement declared.
“To penalise them for circumstances beyond their control would be insensitive and morally indefensible.”
Ghana at a Strategic Crossroads
Beyond the immediate hardship lies a deeper structural threat. Ghana’s standing in the global cocoa economy is weakening. Ecuador is projected to overtake Ghana as the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, while rising output in Nigeria and Cameroon signals a shifting competitive landscape.
Climate stress and land degradation — particularly from illegal mining — further endanger the future of the industry that has sustained Ghana’s economy for generations.
The Bishops are therefore calling for:
· Immediate payment of all arrears owed to farmers
· Transparent financial restructuring of COCOBOD
· Sustained producer prices where increases are not feasible
· Intensified investment in productivity and research
· Greater youth participation in cocoa farming
· Expansion of local processing
· A depoliticised national dialogue centred on farmers’ welfare
Significantly, the Conference revealed that a detailed pastoral letter on the cocoa crisis has been conveyed privately to His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama and to the leadership of Parliament for urgent consideration.
“The rescue of Ghana’s cocoa industry is not merely an economic task,” the Bishops concluded. “It is a moral imperative. Justice for cocoa farmers is justice for Ghana.”
The cocoa belt now waits — not merely for payment — but for leadership anchored in fairness and foresight.
