The Minority Members of Parliament has staged a symbolic protest on the floor of the House, holding cocoa pods and chanting in opposition to the recent reduction in cocoa prices.
Moments before President John Dramani Mahama began delivering his State of the Nation Address the minority MP’s in black staged their protest holding cocoa pods chanting .
However, majority MPs broke into a celebratory Twi chorus — “Ɔde asɛmpa na aba oo, Ɔde asɛmpa na aba ooo” — meaning “He has brought good news.” The chant was interspersed with references to the government’s proposed “24-Hour Economy”.
Nonetheless, the Minority caucus responded with a chant, “atɔ nsuom” which translate as “it has fallen into water”, a phrase attributed failure.
However, President John Dramani Mahama has said his government’s decision to reduce the cocoa producer price is difficult but necessary.
Mahama explained that the reduction was aimed at addressing acute liquidity challenges within the cocoa sector.
According to John Mahama, maintaining the previous price would have compelled the government to borrow billions, which he says could have taken the country back into economic difficulties.
Delivering his 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament, President Mahama explained, “Mr Speaker, a nation that does not learn from past mistakes cannot get out of the cycle of problems that impose hardship on its citizens.
We have just begun to emerge from the most devastating economic crisis in our nation’s recent history. This crisis was triggered by general financial indiscipline, huge deficits and massive debt occasioned by persistent unbudgeted expenditure to meet the ends of convenient politicking.
In the last few weeks, we have had to take the painful but necessary decision to revise the producer price of Cocoa to achieve competitive pricing and resolve acute liquidity challenges in the sector. Failure to do so would have meant pumping in billions of borrowed funds”.
He added, “This unplanned expenditure would have taken us right back to the very devastating economic problems we have only recently begun to escape.
So while fully understanding the concerns and protests of our farmers, I can firmly assure them that the reforms announced by the government will see a total transformation of the sector and guarantee them a fair price that enables them to meet the cost of producing the commodity and make decent margins.
The difference between economic hardships and avoiding the same is the exercise of sound economic judgement, and I am determined to take decisions that ensure our collective wellbeing and avoid suffering for all our citizens.”
Watch the video below:
Minority Members of Parliament staged a symbolic protest on the floor of the House, holding cocoa pods and chanting in opposition to the recent reduction in cocoa prices, moments before President John Dramani Mahama began delivering his State of the Nation Address. pic.twitter.com/hYqtbvLOcS
— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) February 27, 2026