PREVIEWPresident Mahama’s government is coming under pressure to help the country’s cocoa farmers hit by market forces and encroachment by gold minersGhana’s licensed cocoa buyers are in hock to the country’s banks by up to US$750 million, according to the Licensed Cocoa Buyers Association of Ghana, as low prices and the country’s weakened banking system have left many cocoa businesses facing mounting debts. But instead, cocoa prices have collapsed due to weak demand. Around 70,000 metric tonnes of cocoa beans are still in the fields across Ghana, says the industry regulator Cocobod. That, in turn, has reduced banks’ capacity to lend to local businesses, including the cocoa sector. Yet the debts owed by cocoa buyers are rapidly accruing interest, deepening the sector’s liquidity problems.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 02, 2026 13:48 UTC