Government Communications Team Member, Kwaku Owusu Banahene, says the dire consequences of illegal mining currently in Ghana have become a major setback for farmers to produce cocoa.
He highlighted that these struggles stemmed from the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration make it difficult for the production of five hundred thousand tons of cocoa.
According to him, before the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took over government in 2016, Ghana could produce one million tons of cocoa however the adverse effect of illegal mining under the NPP has destroyed Ghana’s cocoa lands.
“Everyone knows that the NPP used eight years to destroy our lands. Today, because of the Galamsey system, we’re struggling to produce five hundred thousand tons of cocoa, meanwhile, when they took over power, we were producing one million tons. They’ve used galamsey to uproot all our cocoa.
“The economic buffer that Mahama left for Akufo-Addo was nine hundred and sixty thousand tons, and before Akufo-Addo was leaving power, it was four hundred and eighty thousand tons,” he explained.
Mr. Owusu said this in a panel discussion on the Angel Morning Show (AMS) on March 19, 2025, and added that the past NDC administration left the NPP government nine hundred and sixty thousand tons when they were leaving office, therefore expected them to produce more.
He explained the NPP government, led by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, left four hundred and eighty thousand tons when they were leaving office.
To him, the NPP’s eight years were only about using illegal mining to destroy the lands in the country; however, this has caused Ghana to produce insufficient cocoa.
Mr. Owusu said this has contributed to Ghana COCOBOD losing over Ghc30 billion after they took a syndicated loan to pay cocoa farmers.
