Cocoa Farmers, Masses, and Investors Left Behind in Mahama’s February 2026 SONA – Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong

Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party and 2028 flagbearership aspirant, Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama’s February 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA), describing it as defensive and lacking a clear roadmap for Ghana’s economic recovery and growth.

In a statement issued on March 1, 2026, Ing. Agyepong said the constitutional address presented an opportunity for the President to inspire confidence and articulate transformative policies but instead focused on partisan self-congratulation without offering decisive direction.

He argued that the address failed to adequately address the concerns of cocoa farmers, investors, and ordinary citizens grappling with rising living costs, particularly electricity tariffs.

According to him, the justification for reducing cocoa producer prices to avoid a return to an IMF programme placed an unfair burden on farmers already facing rising input costs, ageing farms, climate uncertainty, and volatile global prices.

The former NPP General Secretary also expressed concern over signals of increased taxation, warning that higher taxes without strong institutional reforms and fiscal discipline could undermine investor confidence and slow economic growth. He stressed that investment thrives on predictable policies, credible governance, and a clear strategy for expanding the tax base through economic growth rather than increased pressure.

He further criticised what he described as the absence of concrete measures to address corruption, institutional weaknesses, and illegal mining, noting that repeated assurances without enforceable frameworks risk deepening public scepticism.

Ing. Agyepong concluded that Ghana needs leadership committed to structural reforms, environmental protection, and policies that protect farmers while attracting investment.

Read full statement below;

COCOA FARMERS, MASSES and INVESTORS and Left Behind in Mahama’s February 2026 SONA

Over the past week, President John Dramani Mahama had a constitutional opportunity in his 2026 State of the Nation Address to inspire confidence, reengineer the national conversation and articulate a bold roadmap for Ghana’s economic recovery and growth. Instead, Mahama’s address felt more defensive than visionary. It was the usual speech so heavy on partisan self-congratulation and light on transformative direction.
A State of the Nation Address must rise above political applause lines. It must speak to our national realities like the anxieties of our hardworking cocoa farmers, the difficult calculations of investors, and the quiet frustrations of ordinary citizens on the ever rising electricity cost, among others. On that test, this address fell far short.

No mention of Land Reform and imposing a Maintenance Culture

Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of the address was the suggestion that reducing cocoa producer prices was necessary to avoid returning to an IMF programme. That argument may satisfy fiscal technocrats, but it does little to comfort the cocoa farmer whose livelihood already hangs in delicate balance.
It is trite, that cocoa farmers operate within a narrow margin of survival; contending with rising input costs, ageing farms, uncertain climate and volatile global prices. Asking our long suffering cocoa farmers to carry a nation’s burden without a clearly defined long-term productivity strategy reflects a troubling imbalance in national priorities. Fiscal discipline cannot become synonymous with shifting the burden onto those least able to bear it. What good then do farmers derive from state control if they must bear the brunt of bad times?
If agriculture is truly the backbone of the economy, then policy must treat farmers as partners in growth, not as shock absorbers for macroeconomic adjustment.

Equally concerning was the promise of increased taxation at a time when Ghana desperately needs more private capital in infrastructure, manufacturing and technology.
Indeed, taxation is not inherently problematic; irresponsibility is, in our case. Raising taxes without a parallel demonstration of expenditure discipline, regulatory certainty and institutional reform risks dampening investor confidence. Capital flows where policy is predictable and governance is credible. Without those assurances, higher taxes may yield short-term revenue but long-term stagnation.
Investment thrives on clarity and hence President Mahama in the last State of the Nation’s Address, missed a golden opportunity to indicate a comprehensive strategy for broadening the tax base through growth, rather than deepening it through pressure.

More disappointing still, was the absence of a serious assault on the structural weaknesses that continue to undermine Ghana’s democratic and economic architecture.
Indiscipline and corruption within public institutions, cronyism in appointments, selective enforcement of laws, and an uneven application of justice erode public trust. Investors do not merely examine tax rates; they assess the strength of institutions and the predictability of the rule of law. Citizens do not merely listen to government PR spewing out growth statistics; they evaluate fairness. Hence credible reform agenda must confront these issues directly. Silence, however polished, does not amount to reform.

On illegal mining; commonly known as galamsey, the pledges sounded familiar and hollow. Ghana has heard successive administrations promise decisive crackdowns while rivers turn poisonous and farmlands disappear.
This crisis we behold demands more than rhetoric. It requires institutional insulation from political interference, transparent enforcement mechanisms, technological surveillance, and the political courage to confront financiers and enablers at the highest levels.
Without a concrete framework, repeated assurances risk reinforcing public scepticism rather than restoring confidence.

A State of the Nation Address should be distinct from a campaign rally. It is a constitutional moment; a platform to level with citizens about challenges and to articulate a bold, measurable path forward. Ghana needs leadership that is compassionate toward farmers through disciplined fiscal management that is attractive to investors, resolute against environmental destruction, and uncompromising in strengthening institutions.

It is unfortunate President Mahama’s 2026 address did not rise to that standard. And in moments of economic and environmental fragility, presentational leadership is not enough.
Ghanaians deserve more than mere words. We need to see a credible roadmap anchored in reform, fairness and forward thinking.

Ing Kwabena Agyei Agyepong,
1st March 2026.
6 Anang Loop, East Legon, Accra