International corporate lawyer and entrepreneur Victoria Bright has called for an end to what she describes as “cocoa politics”, urging policymakers to focus on long-term reforms that protect farmers and secure the future of the sector.

Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews on Saturday, 28 February, during a discussion on the 2026 State of the Nation Address, Ms Bright said Ghana’s cocoa industry is at a critical point.

“I think that we have to make progress in cocoa, and to do that, we have to stop the cocoa politics,” she said.

According to her, the challenges facing the sector are not new.

“As we all know, these problems have been with us from time immemorial,” she said, adding that she sympathised with the President over the difficult choices involved in managing the industry.

“I do sympathise with the President that he had to do a difficult balancing act between the greater good, if you like, and how to protect the interests of our cherished and very hard-working farmers,” she said.

Ms Bright warned that the cocoa sector is now facing what she described as a “moment of structural truth”.

“Our cocoa sector has now come to a point where it’s facing a moment of structural truth. Between the lack of proper investment into the industry and galamsey, the sector is really suffering,” she said.

She raised concerns about the ageing population of cocoa farmers, noting that many have spent decades in the industry with little to show for their labour.

“When you see the average age of the cocoa farmer, they’re old. These are people who have worked for 40 years. I heard one saying he had worked like 50 years, ever since he was a child. They have nothing to show for it,” she said.

She argued that because cocoa revenues benefit the entire nation, more attention must be given to the welfare of farmers to attract young people into the sector.

“The youth are not being attracted to cocoa farming,” she observed.

Ms Bright also pointed to Ghana’s declining position in global cocoa production.

“We used to be number one in the world. Then we are now at number two, and the way Ecuador is going, very soon we’ll be number three. So what is it about us?” she asked.

She cautioned against neglecting cocoa in favour of other revenue sources such as gold.

“Just because we’re getting reserves from gold and other things does not mean that we should abandon our core asset. We must not do that because other people are trying to get into the space. So there’s still value in being in that space.”

While welcoming proposed reforms in the sector, she said key questions remain about their long-term impact.

“Yes, we must have reforms. The proposed reforms are quite ambitious. But the real question is, are they economically coherent? Will they work in the long term? Are they fiscally sustainable? And operationally, will they be feasible?” she asked.

She said that any reform must ultimately protect farmers.

“Most importantly, will it protect and support our farmers? Because at the end of the day, that is what this is all about.”

Responding to a question on political debate surrounding the sector, Ms Bright said the focus should move away from partisan arguments.

“This is not about politics. For me, this is about the farmers, pure and simple. And Ghana,” she said. “I want us to focus on the farmer. Pure and simple.”

She added that cocoa farmers have “suffered in silence for too long” and welcomed the renewed national attention on their plight.

“I think it’s in their interest and in the nation’s interest to strengthen the sector. It’s good that they’ve blown this onto the national stage,” she said.