Member of Parliament for Walewale, Tiah Abdul-Kabiru Mahama
The Member of Parliament for Walewale, Tiah Abdul-Kabiru Mahama, has sounded the alarm over what he describes as a looming crisis in Ghana’s cocoa sector, cautioning that the country may fall victim to the so-called resource curse if decisive measures are not implemented.
Addressing Parliament on February 17, 2026, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker lamented the worsening conditions facing cocoa farmers across the country, insisting the matter should transcend political divisions.
Rising to contribute to the debate, Dr Mahama said he felt deeply troubled that more than a million cocoa farmers are grappling with economic hardship while discussions in the House are being overshadowed by partisan exchanges. He stressed that many farmers are struggling daily to provide for their families.
He underscored that the challenges confronting the cocoa sector are not confined to any particular region, describing the situation as a national emergency that demands urgent and collective attention.
“I rise with heavy heart and a bit disappointed. A bit disappointed in the sense that over one million farmers are suffering as we speak now. But this house has been turned into politics. I am disappointed because these farmers fail to make ends meet every day.
“This is not a southern issue or a southern issue, it’s a national issue. We are facing a national emergency, “he said.
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Calling for bipartisan cooperation, the Walewale MP urged members on both sides of the aisle to approach the issue with seriousness and resist the temptation to politicise it.
Dr Mahama further warned that Ghana risks experiencing the “resource curse” a phenomenon in which countries rich in natural resources fail to convert that wealth into broad-based economic growth. He argued that it is unacceptable for a country endowed with gold and cocoa to incur losses from the sale of both commodities.
“So when we come to this house to discuss it, I will appeal to this side and I’ll appeal to their side to handle this issue with seriousness and we shouldn’t do politics with this issue.”
“I am afraid that the resource curse is what we’re going to experience. It cannot be right that Ghana is not getting it right when it comes to our gold and our cocoa. It cannot be right that we’re selling gold and making losses and we’re selling cocoa and making losses.”
“He added, “Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa. As we speak now, what has caused this problem is purely a misstep of strategy.”
“How do you make your cocoa prices spot price when you know that your market is a foreign market. How do you take a decision as a government to assume that prices are going to increase, and you leave over 70,000 tons of cocoa in the hands of the farmers and you don’t export or sell that, then when prices are crashing you want to blame people.”
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Source:
www.ghanaweb.com