Dr. Frank Bannor, Development Economist and Senior Research Fellow at IERPP
A development economist and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP), Dr Frank Bannor, has criticised the Mahama administration over its decision to reduce the cocoa producer price for the remainder of the 2025/2026 crop season.
In a Facebook post, Dr Bannor argued that a robust economy should be capable of shielding farmers from external economic shocks rather than transferring the burden onto producers. He maintained that government must play a stabilising role in times of uncertainty, particularly in strategic sectors such as cocoa, which remains a major contributor to Ghana’s economy and rural livelihoods.
Citing how the previous Akufo-Addo administration paid teachers for months despite sitting at home due to the COVID-19 outbreak, he said the Mahama administration should also have insulated cocoa farmers by absorbing the exogenous shocks.
“A robust economy should be able to insulate farmers from any exogenous shocks! Reason Akuffo Addo paid teachers for about 6 months while sitting at home. What we have today is simply a charade characterised by VoodooEconomics,” he wrote on Facebook.
The Mahama government has announced a downward adjustment of the cocoa producer price for the remainder of the 2025/2026 crop season, setting it at GH¢2,587 per bag, down from the GH¢3,625 set at the start of the season.
The decision was disclosed by the Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, during an emergency press briefing on Thursday, February 12, 2026.
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