The Spokesperson for the Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association, Nana Aduna II, has criticised the newly enacted Ghana Cocoa Board Law, describing it as an outdated framework that could impede the development of the country’s cocoa industry.

He argued that the legislation preserves the COCOBOD-centred model introduced during British colonial rule, which continues to restrict Ghana largely to producing and exporting raw cocoa beans.

“This bill, unfortunately, rather entrenches an outdated view that sabotages the development of our cocoa economy,” he said in an interview on Thursday, August 27, on JoyFM's Super Morning Show.

“It maintains an outdated colonial model, which is the COCOBOD model that was introduced by the British,” he added.

Nana Aduna II maintained that Ghana would not derive the full economic value of its cocoa sector without undertaking structural reforms that prioritised local processing and the production of finished cocoa products.

“We are not going to go too far unless we actually look at how we can improve the value of our cocoa sector,” he said.

He added that the system remained “an outdated model based on an outdated British system”, which continued to limit Ghana to producing cocoa beans mainly for export.

President John Mahama assented to the Ghana Cocoa Board Bill, 2026, on Wednesday, August 26. The law repeals the Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 1984 (PNDCL 81) and introduces a new statutory framework for regulating the sector.

It guarantees farmers at least 70 per cent of the gross Free-on-Board price and requires a minimum of 50 per cent of Ghana’s cocoa beans to be processed locally.

Before the presidential assent, the Minority in Parliament had also criticised the legislation and called for broader consultations with farmers and other industry stakeholders.

Earlier, the former Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture in charge of Cocoa Affairs, Yaw Frimpong Addo, said the Minority was not opposed to the entire bill but believed some provisions could adversely affect cocoa farmers.

He also questioned the process that led to its passage under a certificate of urgency, arguing that Parliament’s Agriculture Committee and key industry players, including cocoa hauliers, were not adequately involved.

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