Mr. Frank Adjei-Worlanyo, the Akan New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Officer has described the new cocoa price of GH¢3,228.00 per 64kg bag by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government on Monday, August 4 as a political deceit.
He stated that “In the heat of electioneering campaign in 2024, Mr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the current Minister of Finance, then in opposition, accused the NPP government of shortchanging Ghanaian cocoa farmers of paying them GH¢3,100.00 per 64kg bag instead of GH¢6,000.00.
Mr. Adjei-Worlanyo mentioned that the then opposition party promised that the farmers “would receive a more just price of GH¢6,000.00 per 64kg bag” when elected to government.
The Communications Officer said “this message resonated powerfully, spreading like wildfire across cocoa-growing regions, galvanising farmers, who had long felt neglected. With hopes kindled by assurances of better earnings, many turned their electoral support to the NDC in the fervent belief that their livelihoods would improve substantially”.
Mr. Adjei-Worlanyo, who issued a release copied the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the new cocoa price announcement, said “today, the stark is glaringly apparent, when the government announced a producer price of GH¢3,228.00 per bag of cocoa, a figure barely below the NPP’s baseline, and far below the GH¢6,000.00 promised during the campaign. The sense of betrayal is palpable among cocoa farmers who had pinned their hopes on a political pledge that has yet to materialise”.
He stated that cocoa farming remains a cornerstone of Ghana’s economy, contributing approximately 3.5 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and about 25 per cent of export revenue, underscoring its indispensable role and that “the government’s difficulty in honouring its electoral promises is neither new or isolated”.
Mr. Adjei-Worlanyo said the NDC leadership must remember that the fundamental truth is that political power emanates from the people and must be wielded with accountability and humility.
He added that the cocoa pricing saga is a telling example of the broader challenge facing the NDC government and the imperative to align political rhetoric with credible delivery as the day’s gallop and 2028 elections will soon draw near.
The Communications Officer said Ghana stands at the point of greater progress, but that future depends on a social contract renewed in honesty and accountability, starting with the cocoa farmers whose work over the years has culminated in the nation’s development.