Ghana enacts strict cocoa farm protection law with up to 20‑year prison terms

Ghana's parliament passed the Ghana Cocoa Board Bill on July 30, 2026, granting protected status to all cocoa farms and making it a criminal offense to convert them to other uses without government approval. The law imposes penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment for unauthorized land‑use changes and heavy fines per cocoa tree, with the toughest sanctions aimed at illegal gold mining.

The legislation has drawn criticism. MP Kennedy Osei Nyarko warned that the rule violates landowners' rights, stating “If you are a cocoa farmer … you are prohibited from using your farmland for any other purposes except the growing of cocoa or for rehabilitation purposes.” Farmers' representative Moses Djan Asiedu called the measure “not fair,” arguing that farmers invest heavily in land and receive little support. President John Mahama has not yet signed the bill.