Ghana’s cocoa farmers are grappling with falling prices and mounting debt, and experts say it’s time for a new path: diversify into cashew, coffee, and other crops before it’s too late.
Dr. Frank Ackah, affectionately known as “The Gardener,” told the High Street Journal that the country can no longer put all its hopes on cocoa. “Cocoa has carried us for decades, but the truth is, it can’t carry us forever,” he said. “These low prices are a wake-up call. Farmers need options, they need crops that can support their families when cocoa falters.”
According to Dr. Ackah, past government programs to rehabilitate cocoa farms were often left incomplete and promised support for alternative crops like cashew stalled. He emphasized that discussing diversification is not enough; farmers need real action in the form of funding, tools, guidance, and support.
He also pointed to politics as a key factor undermining the sector. In his view, it is time to move beyond political interference and place the management of Cocobod in the hands of independent, expert-led leadership, ensuring that decisions are guided by knowledge and the best interests of farmers rather than partisan considerations.
“So, I propose that the cocoa board be led by experts. Let’s not appoint politicians; let’s bring in technocrats and professionals to run the cocoa board,” Dr. Ackah said.
Dr. Ackah also sees opportunities beyond cocoa. Coffee, which once flourished in Ghana, could make a comeback, while cashew offers farmers a pathway to more stable incomes. “There’s a reason cashew and coffee are grown all over the world, they can work here too, if we commit to them properly,” he said.
With cocoa prices fluctuating, he stressed that farmers cannot rely on a single crop. Diversification, he emphasized, is no longer optional, it is a matter of survival.
“We must give farmers choices, not just hope. Let them grow, let them thrive, and let them sleep at night knowing their work will feed their families,” Dr. Ackah added.
