President John Dramani Mahama has reacted to a viral video trend featuring a cocoa farmer saying “Mahama wo de yɛ ka”, which loosely means that the President should pay what is owed to cocoa farmers. The trending video has gained attention online and sparked discussion about issues in Ghana’s cocoa industry.
While addressing Ghanaians during an event in the United States Mahama said the situation highlights deeper challenges that Ghana’s cocoa sector has faced, particularly in how cocoa is financed and marketed. He explained that changes in the global market for cocoa have shown the need for Ghana to rethink how it handles cocoa production and exports.
Mahama pointed out that for many decades Ghana has mostly exported raw cocoa beans rather than processing them locally before export. He said this practice limits the value farmers receive because the country earns less from unprocessed beans on the world market. The President noted that his government is working to change the financing model so Ghana can buy its own cocoa beans directly and give local processors priority access during export planning.
According to Mahama this new approach will help ensure that cocoa is not used as collateral for loans, giving Ghana more control over its cocoa and a stronger ability to support local producers and processors. He said that learning from global market shifts is critical for improving the cocoa sector and protecting the interests of farmers who depend on their cocoa income.
The viral “Mahama wo de yɛ ka” video has brought issues affecting cocoa farmers to the public eye, prompting national debate on how the government and industry leaders can work together to strengthen the agricultural sector and ensure farmers are treated fairly.
