President John Dramani Mahama has called for the passage of a legislation that would strictly prohibit the destruction of cocoa farms for illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.

Mahama’s appeal underscores the need to preserve Ghana’s agricultural heritage and secure the livelihoods of countless cocoa farmers whose means of income are under constant threat from illegal mining operations.

Speaking at a meeting with cocoa farmers at the Jubilee House on Thursday, March 27, President Mahama highlighted the immense economic and social value of cocoa farming, emphasising that the long-term benefits of maintaining cocoa plantations far outweigh the short-lived financial gains of mining.

He also drew attention to the lifespan and economic sustainability of cocoa trees, making a compelling case for why Ghana should prioritise agriculture over mining in certain areas.

“If you plant cocoa on the land, every year, it will yield revenue and a cocoa tree can last 30 years or more and produce money every year. So it makes more sense to leave that gold under the ground and rather depend on your cocoa tree than to mine the ground and make it useless to our children and our children’s children.

“And so I will encourage and I was saying that maybe we should pass laws that prevent people from cutting down cocoa trees for mining.”