Ghana moves to jail farmers who repurpose cocoa land without approval

Manu Yaw Fofie, a cocoa farmer, walks through his farm in Kona, Ghana, Friday, March 6, 2026. -

Ghana's parliament passed a bill that could send cocoa farmers to prison for up to 20 years if they convert their farms to other uses without government approval, according to a copy of the bill seen by The Associated Press.

The new measure was passed on Thursday, but the contents of the law were not made public until late Sunday.

The legislation would give all cocoa farms protected status, making it a criminal offense to repurpose them for anything else without authorization, drawing criticism from farmers.

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