“Galamsey Can Be Stopped if Youth Take Up Farming” — 2025 National Best Cocoa Farmer
2025 National Best Cocoa Farmer Urges Youth to Venture into Agriculture and End Galamsey
- Mr. Yeboah urges youth to take up farming to stop Galamsey
- Credits government support and extension officers for his cocoa success
- Farming is in his blood; he encourages unity and motivation for young farmers
Edward Kwame Yeboah, crowned the 2025 National Best Cocoa Farmer, has called on Ghanaian youth to embrace farming as a pathway to employment and a solution to illegal mining, popularly known as Galamsey.
Speaking in an interview with Kwame Tanko on the Ghana Se Sen morning show on Lawson TV on Monday, December 8, 2025, Yeboah expressed his joy at winning the prestigious award.
“I am extremely happy to have won. Farming is in my blood, and I don’t know when I will stop,” he said.
A Fante and Bolga indigene, Yeboah manages a 119.76-acre cocoa farm located at Mankranso. According to him he began his agricultural journey with vegetable farming, which was fraught with challenges, before venturing fully into cocoa cultivation.
He attributes his success to close collaboration with agricultural extension officers and following their guidance diligently.
“Uniting with the officers has helped me a lot. I listen to their teachings, and it has brought me this far,” he noted.
Mr. Yeboah also highlighted the profitability of cocoa farming, citing government support and favorable dollar rates as key contributors.
“Cocoa is a long-term investment. There is money in it, and farming is in my blood,” he reiterated.
Beyond personal success, Mr. Yeboah used the platform to encourage the youth to venture into agriculture, emphasizing its role in reducing unemployment and curbing illegal mining.
“Galamsey can be stopped if the youth venture into farming. We must motivate school children at the basic level and encourage them in agriculture instead of involving them in weeding or other menial tasks,” he advised.
He stressed that the fight against Galamsey should be nonpartisan, free from political interference, and called for unity across communities.
“Politics will not help to fight Galamsey. We should all come together to stop it,” he said, revealing that some illegal miners had approached him to use his farm for Galamsey, but he refused outright.
