Clause 81 of Cocoa Board Bill infringes on farmers’ property rights – NPP
The Chairman of Agriculture Policy of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Policy Committee, Isaac Yaw Opoku, has criticised provisions in the newly passed Ghana Cocoa Board Bill, 2026, describing them as an infringement on the rights of cocoa farmers and landowners.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has expressed concerns that Clause 81 of the recently enacted Ghana Cocoa Board Bill 2026 infringes upon the property rights of farmers and landowners. Dr Isaac Yaw Opoku, chairman of the NPP's Policy Committee on Agriculture, stated that this provision places excessive restrictions on landowners' ability to determine how their property should be utilized.
At a press conference on August 9, Dr Opoku warned that the clause could lead to harassment, arbitrary arrests, and extortion if enacted. The clause seeks to prevent the conversion or destruction of cocoa farms for non-cocoa purposes without prior authorization, effectively granting cocoa farms a protected status. Dr Opoku questioned the need for such restrictions on farmers and landowners who have invested their resources in acquiring and developing their properties.
He argued that the provision is unenforceable as drafted and prone to abuse, potentially triggering similar treatment as seen in the abuse of Sections 207 and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act. The NPP maintains that while measures may be required to safeguard Ghana's cocoa industry, the legislation should not indiscriminately curtail the rights of farmers and landowners.
They have called for further scrutiny and broader consultation before the Bill receives presidential assent.
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