Nana Oboadie, President of the Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana, has warned against the political exploitation of the forestry and cocoa sectors, amid delays in cocoa payments to farmers and allegations of police-protected illegal logging.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, he described the situation as a symptom of broader governance failures and called for urgent intervention from authorities.
“This is no lie. It is real because we are on the field at what is happening,” Nana stressed, highlighting the urgency of addressing the dual challenges of unpaid cocoa farmers and forest destruction.
He further warned, “Do not sit down for a group of people in the name of politics to do pharmacy and go for free know anywhere that is plain wooden. Cocoa Board. There’s a new see you need to come up with a way to know the kind of day that is there, who posted.”
Nana noted that while Cocoa Board has issued assurances that outstanding payments will be processed, farmers remain without their due funds.
He explained, “I’m on the field doing education for the farmers to know what is really happening with the current situation for three months, money that have not been paid. We first were engaged with Cocoa Board and then they’ve given us assurance that directives has been made for the money to be paid this very month, yeah, we have been assured that the money will be paid for the farmers.”
On the issue of illegal logging, Nana alleged systemic complicity by law enforcement.
“People have the right to cut down trees, destroy it with that in it, in the name of my name and the name of big man at the top and who said? Police people, district police commanders and other things with that. We’re men with guns protecting criminals just to destroy state property.”
He described the situation as indicative of a broader governance failure and appealed for immediate attention from President John Dramani Mahama.
“So it’s like the whole country is a mess. That’s why I keep on saying that there’s something that John Dramani Mahama has to see. I gave you my report in 2016 which did not take a serious note on it. And then there’s another report—and if you don’t even take serious note on this, you fail again.”
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Bilkiss Abdul Majiid
