MPs Demand Broad Consultation With Farmers, CSOs Before Passage
By Clement Akoloh
Accra, July 29, 2026
The Minority in Parliament has opposed moves by government to take the new Ghana Cocoa Board Bill under a certificate of urgency, arguing that the legislation requires broad national consultation.
Contributing to debate on the floor on Wednesday, the MP for Offoase Ayirebi, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah argued that the new Bill, laid by the Minister for Finance last Thursday, is materially different from an amendment Bill laid last year.
“This one is a totally new Bill that repeals the old one. Yes, it incorporates some of the issues in the amendment Bill but it has many other provisions,” the MP said.
According to him, the Bill “literally re-legislates how the entire cocoa industry should be managed” and has significant implications, citing issues around ROB – Retention on Board and the overall architecture of COCOBOD.
Call for Stakeholder Engagement
The MP stated that farmers groups and civil society organisations must be given an opportunity to make input before the Bill is passed.
“There are farmers groups that must be given an opportunity to see what is in this Bill which has been taken to committee… There are civil society organisations that have views when it comes to agriculture and the cocoa industry,” he said.
He referenced a program chaired by Speaker Bagbin with academia and CSOs on the need to create room for experts to input into legislation.
“What is the reason for which we want to rush this through one night?… There’s no need to rush with this. It’s such a big deal that we should give ourselves some time and consult some more before this House takes a decision on it,” he urged colleagues on the Majority side.
The Bill seeks to provide a new legal architecture for managing the cocoa industry and repeal existing COCOBOD laws. It has since been referred to committee.
After an extensive debate on the need for the Bill to be taken through a certificate of urgency, the House took a vote on the motion and Majority side carried the day.
Source: parliamentnews360.com
