President John Dramani Mahama has convened an emergency Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, to address mounting challenges in Ghana’s cocoa sector.
The announcement was made by the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
The emergency session comes amid growing concerns over prolonged delays in payments to cocoa farmers, liquidity constraints at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), and warnings of a potential collapse of the industry.
A cocoa purchasing clerk with more than 20 years of experience described the situation as unprecedented, noting that farmers who supplied cocoa months ago are still waiting for payments.
“From November till now, I can’t sleep. I have taken about 250 bags of cocoa from farmers, and they are always at my doorstep demanding their money. In my 20 years as a purchasing clerk, I have never seen a situation where cocoa is bought, and the government cannot pay,” he said at a recent People’s Forum in Abuakwa South.
The Licensed Cocoa Buyers Association of Ghana (LICOBAG) has also raised alarm over the sector’s difficulties. LICOBAG President Samuel Adimado attributed the payment delays to severe funding and liquidity challenges at COCOBOD, noting that the situation has affected both Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) and cocoa farmers nationwide.
He called on the government to urgently secure funding to pay for an estimated 300,000 metric tonnes of cocoa between now and September to stabilise the sector. According to Adimado, the traditional syndicated funding model used to finance cocoa purchases has failed, making a hybrid funding approach necessary to prevent further disruptions.
Adimado also urged COCOBOD to immediately settle outstanding payments for cocoa already supplied, warning that continued delays could undermine farmer confidence.
“Wherever COCOBOD can get the money, they should try and get it so we can pay our members, and our members can also pay the farmers,” he said.
Meanwhile, COCOBOD Chief Executive Officer Randy Abbey acknowledged a significant disruption in the cocoa market. Speaking at a press conference at Cocoa House in Accra on Friday, February 6, 2026, Abbey said that although COCOBOD has sold over 530,000 tonnes of cocoa for the current season, about 50,000 tonnes remain unsold with farmers.
Abbey attributed the situation to Ghana’s non-competitive farmgate price, which has made it difficult for buyers to absorb the excess cocoa. “The situation is where we have beans, but they are not buying; the beans are too expensive,” he said.
He assured that efforts are underway to address the delayed payments and stabilise the sector.
