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Abu Jinapor blames cocoa price reduction on mismanagement
The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has attributed the recent cocoa producer price reduction to what he describes as government mismanagement and poor decision making.
Contributing to a statement on the floor of Parliament, he argued that the challenges facing the cocoa sector are not new and cannot be justified by debt or external factors alone.
He maintained that the difficulties stem from poor judgment in international cocoa trading. He stated that government failed to take advantage of opportunities such as forward sales and spot sales when global cocoa prices were high.
According to him, the situation reflects a lack of understanding of the cocoa industry rather than unavoidable economic conditions.
He dismissed the argument that debt is the primary cause, noting that Ghana has historically managed cocoa related debts while continuing to pay farmers.
The Damongo lawmaker further compared Ghana’s situation to that of Côte d’Ivoire, indicating that the neighbouring country continues to offer better prices to its cocoa farmers despite facing similar global pressures.
He described the price reduction as unprecedented and called on government to provide a bailout for farmers.
He urged authorities to reduce expenditure within the cocoa sector, arguing that farmers should not bear the burden while administrative costs remain high.
By: Jacob Aggrey
President John Dramani Mahama this afternoon visited two survivors of Saturday’s Burkina Faso terrorist attack currently on admission at the 37 military hospital in Accra.
The survivors, were among Ghanaian tomato traders on board a truck, which was ambushed by armed bandits in northern Burkina Faso.
President Mahama, who was accompanied by his Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, commiserated with the victims and assured them their bills will be absorbed by government.
The president, who was in Takoradi earlier in the morning to open the Minerals Commission’s Local Content Summit, went straight to the hospital from the airport to visit the injured traders.
Seven other Ghanaian traders were killed in the attack and have since been buried.
The survivors were successfully transported home by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
The Chief Justice of Ghana, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has ruled that petitions seeking the removal of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, her Deputies, and the Special Prosecutor do not disclose a prima facie case.
President John Dramani Mahama had referred a total of ten petitions to the Chief Justice on November 25, 2025, following submissions from individuals and groups calling for the removal of the officials.
The petitions included seven against the Electoral Commission leadership and three against the Special Prosecutor.
In a letter to the President dated January 26, 2026, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie stated that the petitions did not establish sufficient grounds to warrant further investigations.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Minister and Spokesperson to the President, confirmed the decision, noting that no action will be taken based on the petitions.
By: Jacob Aggrey
