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			<name>Aniwaba</name>
							<uri>https://www.aniwaba.com</uri>
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<id>https://aniwaba.com/?p=23937</id>
		<updated>2026-04-28T22:57:51Z</updated>
		<published>2026-04-28T22:54:04Z</published>
		<category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Uncategorized" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Adamus" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Salman" />
		<summary type="html"><![CDATA[The Chief of Salman, Nana Kwamena Bentum II, has expressed strong opposition to the government’s decision to revoke the mining lease of Adamus Resources Limited, describing the move as unjustified and harmful to livelihoods in the affected communities. This comes after Adamus Resources Limited accused the government of a purported attempt to revoke its mining [&#8230;]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/salman-chief-slams-adamus-lease-revocation-urges-govt-to-restore-it/">Salman Chief slams Adamus lease revocation, urges gov’t to restore it</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
]]></summary>

<content type="html" xml:base="https://aniwaba.com/salman-chief-slams-adamus-lease-revocation-urges-govt-to-restore-it/"><![CDATA[
The Chief of Salman, Nana Kwamena Bentum II, has expressed strong opposition to the government’s decision to revoke the mining lease of Adamus Resources Limited, describing the move as unjustified and harmful to livelihoods in the affected communities.

This comes after Adamus Resources Limited accused the government of a purported attempt to revoke its mining leases without due process. The company has argued that any such action must comply with provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), which requires formal notice and an opportunity to remedy alleged breaches before any suspension or termination.

Speaking in reaction to the development on Citi Eyewitness News on Tuesday, April 28, the chief said he was disappointed by the decision, stressing that the company has played a significant role in supporting local employment and curbing illegal mining activities in the area.

“We are not happy about it at all. Yesterday, I heard about it. When we heard that the Minister had revoked Adamus’ lease, I personally was unhappy,” he said.

He praised the Chief Executive Officer of Adamus Resources, Angela List, for what he described as her commitment to responsible mining and community support, adding that the company has helped provide livelihoods for many residents.

According to him, the company has also supported the promotion of cooperative mining initiatives in parts of Ellembelle, with ongoing discussions to expand such arrangements to Salman. He explained that negotiations were still ongoing regarding additional land for structured mining activities.

The chief further noted concerns about illegal alluvial mining in the area, stating that irresponsible digging practices by some individuals had damaged land and created environmental challenges. He said efforts had been made to encourage more organised and cooperative mining systems to address the issue.

He questioned the rationale behind the reported revocation of the lease, arguing that the company employs about 1,200 people and contributes significantly to local livelihoods.

“Honestly, it is difficult to understand why the licence has been revoked. The company has created jobs and supports many families,” he said.

Nana Kwamena Bentum II also criticised the decision in relation to broader national industrialisation efforts, arguing that while initiatives such as One District One Factory are still developing, established companies should not be disrupted without clear justification.

“I disagree with the government. They should return the leases to the company,” he stated, adding that the company has been actively preventing illegal alluvial mining in the area.

He urged that the matter should not be politicised, insisting that the focus should remain on protecting jobs and ensuring responsible mining practices.

Source: Citinewsroom
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/salman-chief-slams-adamus-lease-revocation-urges-govt-to-restore-it/">Salman Chief slams Adamus lease revocation, urges gov’t to restore it</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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		<entry>
		<author>
			<name>Aniwaba</name>
							<uri>https://www.aniwaba.com</uri>
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<id>https://aniwaba.com/?p=23933</id>
		<updated>2026-04-28T22:43:31Z</updated>
		<published>2026-04-28T22:43:29Z</published>
		<category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Uncategorized" />
		<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service, Cape Coast Regional Headquarters, responded promptly to the distress call. Upon arrival, firefighters observed that the crash involved a Toyota Corolla with registration number GW-5769-16 and a HOWO tipper truck with registration number GN-1497-22. The driver of the Toyota Corolla, who was trapped behind the steering wheel, was [&#8230;]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/two-perish-in-fatal-crash-on-cape-coast-accra-highway/">Two perish in fatal crash on Cape-Coast-Accra Highway</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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<content type="html" xml:base="https://aniwaba.com/two-perish-in-fatal-crash-on-cape-coast-accra-highway/"><![CDATA[
Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service, Cape Coast Regional Headquarters, responded promptly to the distress call.

Upon arrival, firefighters observed that the crash involved a Toyota Corolla with registration number GW-5769-16 and a HOWO tipper truck with registration number GN-1497-22.

The driver of the Toyota Corolla, who was trapped behind the steering wheel, was extricated by fire personnel but was unfortunately pronounced dead at the hospital.

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="696" height="928" src="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GNFS-2.jpeg?resize=696%2C928&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-23934" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GNFS-2.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GNFS-2.jpeg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GNFS-2.jpeg?resize=315%2C420&amp;ssl=1 315w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GNFS-2.jpeg?resize=696%2C928&amp;ssl=1 696w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GNFS-2.jpeg?w=960&amp;ssl=1 960w" sizes="(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The scene of the accident. Photo: Citinewsroom</figcaption></figure>
</div>

According to eyewitness accounts, the Toyota Corolla was traveling from Cape Coast towards Accra when the driver noticed a pick-up vehicle dangerously overtaking and attempting to enter the lane of the oncoming HOWO tipper truck. In response, the Corolla driver slowed down.

The tipper truck, which was traveling in the opposite direction, reportedly veered into the outer lane to make way for the overtaking pick-up. However, in an attempt to return to its lane, the driver lost control and crashed into the Toyota Corolla.

All casualties were conveyed to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital for medical attention and further management.

Source: Citinewsroom
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/two-perish-in-fatal-crash-on-cape-coast-accra-highway/">Two perish in fatal crash on Cape-Coast-Accra Highway</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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			</entry>
		<entry>
		<author>
			<name>Solomon Mensah</name>
					</author>

<id>https://aniwaba.com/?p=23924</id>
		<updated>2026-04-29T01:04:35Z</updated>
		<published>2026-04-27T02:11:43Z</published>
		<category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="TALKING DRUM" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Brave Woman Ghana" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Methodist Church Ghana" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Tithe" />
		<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Last week, as usual, the Ghanaian social and traditional media space buzzed with commentaries. A spectacular scene between a church member and her minister at the Methodist Church Ghana, Wesley Cathedral in Sunyani, Bono Region, was the subject that intrigued Ghanaians. Opinions were shared, interviews granted, and eventually a press statement was issued. The frenzy [&#8230;]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/tithing-wahala-the-methodist-churchs-robbers-the-brave-woman-my-judgement/">TALKING DRUM: Tithing Wahala: The Methodist Church’s ‘Robbers’ &amp; the ‘Brave’ Woman – My Judgement!</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
]]></summary>

<content type="html" xml:base="https://aniwaba.com/tithing-wahala-the-methodist-churchs-robbers-the-brave-woman-my-judgement/"><![CDATA[
Last week, as usual, the Ghanaian social and traditional media space buzzed with commentaries. A spectacular scene between a church member and her minister at the Methodist Church Ghana, Wesley Cathedral in Sunyani, Bono Region, was the subject that intrigued Ghanaians.

Opinions were shared, interviews granted, and eventually a <a href="https://yen.com.gh/ghana/303378-methodist-church-responds-viral-video-member-calling-bishop-a-thief/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press statement</a> was issued. The frenzy ensued after Very Rev. Dr. Solomon Bruce gave a Bible teaching on tithing. It is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMXMAJ1pk_U" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the teachings happened on February 1, 2026. It was, however, not until April 2026 that portions of the Bible teachings popped up on TikTok, sparking “fire” and going viral on other social media platforms.

Snippets of Very Rev. Solomon’s teachings indicate that he tried to convey the passage on tithings in Malacai 3 to his congregants. He stressed and emphasized on verse 8 which says, “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings” (KJV). He encouraged his church members to endeavour to pay their tithes so not ending up robbing God, explaining the types of thieveries—stealing, burglary and robing—in detail. &nbsp;

When it was time for questions and answers, a church member—who has now earned the title of a ‘brave” woman in the Ghanian discourse—grabbed the microphone. She had something to say about the “robbery” tag the Bible associates with non-payment of tithes. Her response, however, was explosive and lethal than the missiles the United States, Israel, and Iran have hurled at themselves in the past weeks. &nbsp;

“You said whoever takes or withhold the tithe is an armed robber. If we are talking about armed robbing, it starts from you, the bishops, elders, and the leadership of the church; you are all robbers,” adding that “serious[ly], you are robbers.” The ‘brave’ woman did not end there. She still had a barrage of missiles to fire and would not hand over the microphone until her mission was accomplished.

“You said that if one does not pay tithe and the non-tither’s mother or any of his or her immediate relatives dies, you [the church] will not attend the funeral. You did not read in the Bible that we should use tithe to pay for funeral donations,” she fumed. The disgruntled woman was, to a large extent, right in her submission. Equally, Very Rev. Solomon Bruce exhibited professionalism as he refrained from confrontations apart from telling her to give others the chance to speak too.

Per the interactions in the social media videos, I see two worrying concerns in the Methodist Church which reflects in many other churches in the country. First, a potential attempt by the church to twist the Bible to suit its narratives and, second, a seeming ignorance in the Word of God on the part of some church members.

Before I proceed to tell you more, I wish to, first, tell you that I was born into the Methodist Church until I left it in my teens. My parents were both members at the Ebenezer Methodist Church, Penkwase in Sunyani. I have nothing against the Church. Growing up, I observed that my mother—who was part of the Church’s Women’s Fellowship—preoccupied herself with one main thing as the main reason for going to church. Though she knew the Lord, practiced food charity on her own volition, I gleaned from my mother’s conversations that she was particular about her church burying her after her death. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The trending video of the disgruntled woman and the Very Rev. Solomon’s Bible teaching linking tithing to funeral attendance makes me think that perhaps, the Methodist Church has for years focused its attention on funerals rather than the soon coming of our Lord Jesus.

As a Christian, I very much believe in tithing. Sometime in 2020 when Ghana was on lockdown following the Covid-19 pandemic, my church announced on its WhatsApp group that we could pay our tithes either online or in person. I had saved about three to four months of my tithes and I felt that tithes should be paid in-person. I went to the church one afternoon when the treasury department had opened and made the payment. Just when I stepped out of the church, an elder followed and called me.

“I am surprised a young man like you could saved his tithes and waited for the opportunity to pay it without spending the money,” he said. I responded that that money was for God. Though I needed cash badly, at the time, I had no appetite to spend such money which I knew was technically not mine.

In Malacai 3:10, God declares the objective for tithing thus: That “there may be meat [food] in my house.” If I do not pay my tithe, how do I expect the church to run its affairs specifically remunerating the clergy? The truth is that, while tithing only does one thing in the house of the Lord, it brings us numerous blessings. The last time I counted such blessings, I got eight. If one pays their tithe and stays upright in the Lord, these blessings overflow.

While Very Rev. Solomon Bruce hammered on tithing, I wonder if he as well clarified that the clergy is also obliged to pay tithe of the tithe they receive. “Thus speak unto the Levites, and unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even as a tenth part of the tithe” (Numbers 18: 26, KJV). The bottom line is that tithing is good and it applies to all whether the congregants or the clergy.

The second worrying concern I have, as reflected in the ‘brave’ woman’s submission, is that majority of believers have not read the Bible before. We are often ignorant of the Scriptures, relying mostly on our pastors to read and quote it to us. The ‘brave’ woman said she could pay a substantial tithe but that she would rather only bring a half of it to the church. The Bible tells us to bring “all the tithe into the storehouse.” If your tithe is GHC100 but you decide to pay GHC50, you had better not return it. It is an exercise in futility as one gains no blessings!

Christians must endeavour to rigorously study their Bible to understand the God they serve. If I were to give my judgment on the tithing brouhaha, I would say the ‘brave’ woman was right but for her attack on an ordained Man of God. If David refused to attack or kill King Saul, it was for a reason—the anointing. &nbsp;

The church, in general, must not turn the house of the Lord into funeral homes where members needlessly calculate how much they will make in donations when their mother or father dies and how they themselves will be buried after they die. Either ten people or a thousand attending one’s funeral, and the amount of donations they make, does not determine whether the deceased will have a peaceful rest in Paradise or perpetual torment in hell.

Congregants, instead, must constantly be preached repentance and the second coming of Jesus for there is, indeed, judgment after death!

The writer is a freelance journalist&nbsp; and an International Affairs Analyst. The views expressed herein are solely his, and do not, in any way, reflect the editorial policy of this organisation.

Email: nehusthan4@yahoo.com

Twitter &amp; IG: @aniwaba | Facebook: Solomon Mensah
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/tithing-wahala-the-methodist-churchs-robbers-the-brave-woman-my-judgement/">TALKING DRUM: Tithing Wahala: The Methodist Church’s ‘Robbers’ &amp; the ‘Brave’ Woman – My Judgement!</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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			<name>Solomon Mensah</name>
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<id>https://aniwaba.com/?p=23920</id>
		<updated>2026-04-13T01:58:40Z</updated>
		<published>2026-04-13T01:58:37Z</published>
		<category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="TALKING DRUM" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Accra" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Building Collapse" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Newtown Building Collapse" />
		<summary type="html"><![CDATA[On Sunday, March 29, 2026, we once again announced our collective carelessness as a nation to the world when an uncompleted three-storey building at the Newtown Experimental D/A School in Accra, Greater Accra Region, collapsed. The incident, according to media reports, claimed three lives – two women and a man. Twenty others who were rescued [&#8230;]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/talking-drum-newtown-building-collapse-the-folly-of-a-nation/">TALKING DRUM: Newtown Building Collapse – The Folly of a Nation!</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
]]></summary>

<content type="html" xml:base="https://aniwaba.com/talking-drum-newtown-building-collapse-the-folly-of-a-nation/"><![CDATA[
On Sunday, March 29, 2026, we once again announced our collective carelessness as a nation to the world when an uncompleted three-storey building at the Newtown Experimental D/A School in Accra, Greater Accra Region, collapsed.

The incident, according to <a href="https://dailyguidenetwork.com/newtown-building-collapse-three-confirmed-dead-20-rescued/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">media reports</a>, claimed three lives – two women and a man. Twenty others who were rescued sustained various degrees of injuries. The internet, on that fateful Sunday, went into mourning. Eyewitnesses shared horrifying accounts, with some bemoaning the apparent absence of emergency services at the very beginning of the incident.

“Right now, if there were an excavator here, they [civilian respondents] could have used it to clear the debris. Instead, some carpenters have mounted the roofing of the collapsed building to take off the roof so they see if they will get access to the people trapped,” an eyewitness shared in a social media <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDtQnsDOAos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a>.

The eyewitness recounted that later a woman was rescued and immediately, bystanders poured powder over her as a way of celebrating her escape from death. “Three people have been rescued so far, and a woman among them who seemed fit was showered with powder and sent home. I only thought that after this rescue she should have been taken to the hospital for medical assessment, but this is my country, Ghana,” he lamented.

Later, when the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) arrived, the residents had done what their might and laymen’s knowledge in rescue operations could allow them to do. Another eyewitness, who doubled as one of the civilian respondents, told the media that he saw a woman trapped under a beam. The trapped woman called for help, but he recounted that he had neither the skill nor the strength to lift the beam from her chest. The said woman requested water, which he bought for her—a sachet of water. Sadly, she passed away.

The questions, therefore, are: when did the eyewitnesses call the GNFS, and did they arrive on time? I seek not to apportion blame here. Rather, I would like to draw the attention of both the public and our emergency services to the fact that emergency response is a collective responsibility. Every second in emergency response is crucial. One could argue that, perhaps, had the GNFS and their partners arrived on time, the woman trapped under the beam and the other deceased individuals might have been saved.

This sad incident is, however, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu3RFR5rNGU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not new</a> in Ghana. Several buildings have collapsed in the country, including the infamous 2012 Melcom building disaster. In fact, a Fact Check Ghana <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/658864043/Collapsed-Buildings-in-Ghana-as-compiled-by-Fact-Check-Ghana?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> indicates that from 2010 to 2023, Ghana recorded at least 55 building collapses, with Greater Accra alone accounting for 14. If you trace and read all the reports on these building collapses, you will realise that the causes are always the same: poor construction practices, use of substandard materials, unqualified contractors, lack of enforcement of building codes, and unauthorized extensions, among others. The case of the Newtown building collapse is not different.

Eyewitnesses told the media that the building had been left uncompleted since 2012. Residents knew the structure could collapse at any time, and authorities can never absolve themselves of responsibility for this carnage.

In fact, NADMO, in the aftermath of the incident, has <a href="https://ghanaiantimes.com.gh/accra-new-town-tragedy-safety-warnings-ignored-nadmo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the building was marked unsafe weeks before the atrocity. “It was not safe, and people were clearly advised not to go in, yet that directive was ignored. That is what has brought us to this unfortunate situation,” the Director-General of NADMO, Major (Rtd) Dr Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, told The Ghanaian Times. In any serious country, executives of both NADMO and the municipal assembly, and any other person involved in the issuance of the directive, could be tried for negligence—murder, for that matter.

It is absolutely balderdash for authorities to absolve themselves of responsibility by claiming the building was marked unsafe and that people were told not to go in. Did they cordon off the building? What concrete measures did they put in place, as many of the residents who thronged ground zero feared that many students could have died if the incident had happened on a school day? And what prevented the authorities from pulling down the structure in the first place? Dr Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon must be charged by his own words: “If the coordination [between authorities] had been swift, the building might still have collapsed, but no one would have been inside.”

If the Melcom building disaster did not get us to put on our thinking caps, I doubt we ever will. In 2012, Vice-President of the Ghana Institution of Engineering, Magnus Quarshie, told the<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgex51zzd8o" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> BBC</a> that preliminary investigation into the Melcom building collapse suggested “workmanship was very, very poor.” In 2026, President of the same institution, Ing. Ludwig Annang Hesse, tells the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-20250494" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BBC</a> that “we have the laws, we have the regulation, and if we do things right, we will not get this problem.”

Elsewhere, happenings like these trigger serious national change. In America, all public building doors open outward, and that is for a reason. In Holyoke, a city in Massachusetts, in 1875, a fire outbreak at the Precious Blood Church claimed 70 lives. The calamity did not only become breaking news across the nation; it called for a massive change in building codes—public building doors must open outward.

The rationale was that making public building doors open outward will allow “people to flow out of a building and not get caught behind doors in case of an emergency,” the <a href="https://gazettenet.com/2025/07/09/precious-blood-fire-an-event-that-was-talked-about-around-the-nation-led-to-change-in-building-codes-for-public-entrances-61497286/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Hampshire Gazette</a> notes. While this building code started in Holyoke, it quickly gained traction across the United States, and it is strictly enforced even today. Ghana should have by now implemented stricter enforcement of its building codes and not have experts continually giving excuses and complaining to the very people they must protect.

Moreover, since civilians always take the lead in dousing fires and responding to emergencies in Ghana, would it not be a sensible thing to teach emergency response in our schools? And, ideally, Ghanaians, right after junior high school, must undertake a compulsory three- to six-month service with any of our agencies—GNFS, NADMO, and the Ambulance Service, among others. By this, we equip and empower our citizens for effective community service while we hope that someday our politicians will fall in love with wisdom.

The saddest reality is that if you have practiced journalism in Ghana for at least a year, you could comfortably sit in your room, predict, and write stories that will happen tomorrow or in the future. Take old news scripts, change the dates, and you are good to go to press! You may want to call this prophetic journalism. Be informed, however, that one does not need any spiritual insight to write such stories. In a country where we always pray, asking God to do for us what He has already empowered us to do for ourselves, one cannot expect anything different from business as usual.

May the Lord save His own.

The writer is a freelance journalist and an International Affairs Analyst. The views expressed herein are solely his and do not, in any way, reflect the editorial policy of this organisation.

Email: nehusthan4@yahoo.com

Twitter &amp; IG: @aniwaba | Facebook: Solomon Mensah
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/talking-drum-newtown-building-collapse-the-folly-of-a-nation/">TALKING DRUM: Newtown Building Collapse – The Folly of a Nation!</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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		<author>
			<name>Solomon Mensah</name>
					</author>

<id>https://aniwaba.com/?p=23907</id>
		<updated>2026-03-08T13:28:20Z</updated>
		<published>2026-03-08T13:28:00Z</published>
		<category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="TALKING DRUM" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Cocoa" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Ghana Cocoa" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Ivory Coast" />
		<summary type="html"><![CDATA[When COCOBOD Ran Away from Me Writing my LECIAD thesis, I made efforts to contact both COCOBOD and Ivory Coast’s Le Conseil du Café-Cacao (CCC) for an interview, but none of them responded to me. Regarding the CCC, I could not serve them directly with my letter requesting fo an interview. The Elubo border was [&#8230;]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/talking-drum-ghanas-cocoa-crisis-a-cocktail-of-politics-greed-self-sabotage-part-ii/">TALKING DRUM: Ghana’s Cocoa Crisis – A Cocktail of Politics, Greed &amp; Self-Sabotage! (Part II)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
]]></summary>

<content type="html" xml:base="https://aniwaba.com/talking-drum-ghanas-cocoa-crisis-a-cocktail-of-politics-greed-self-sabotage-part-ii/"><![CDATA[
When COCOBOD Ran Away from Me

Writing my LECIAD thesis, I made efforts to contact both COCOBOD and Ivory Coast’s Le Conseil du Café-Cacao (CCC) for an interview, but none of them responded to me. Regarding the CCC, I could not serve them directly with my letter requesting fo an interview. The Elubo border was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic which made it impossible fo me to go by road.

I tried sending it via air through DHL but the charge was exorbitantly high. Instead, I sent the letter in-person to the Ivorian Embassy in Accra and frequented there hoping they will link me up with someone at the CCC in Abidjan. It was to no avail. As for COCOBOD, I called and chased the former Head of Public Affairs, Fiifi Boafo, to grant me an interview but also to no avail. In the end, I interviewed anonymous sources.

How difficult was it for the Ghana Cocoa Board and Le Conseil du Café-Cacao to answer questions on a policy (the living income differential) that they claimed was to better the lives of cocoa farmers? Even those who then occupied positions as heads of the cocoa farmers’ associations all turned down my requests to speak to them on the Ghana-Ivory Coast floor price of cocoa policy.

From what I gathered in my cocoa research, I can say without a doubt that majority of our politicians and staffers in the cocoa sector care less about the plight of the poor farmer.

Greed &amp; Self-Sabotage: The Jute Sack Mafia

In a TV3 interview with Keminni Amanor, published on May 26, 2025, the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Dr. Ransford Annetey Abbey, said that some 200 containers of jute sacks, as well as agrochemicals – for the cocoa sector – had gone missing before he assumed office. Did they ever find these containers? It’s amazing how shipping containers could go missing as if they were matchboxes! In the said interview, Dr. Abbey revealed that COCOBOD records showed that while the organisation had over 94,000 bales of jute sacks, it needlessly went ahead to procure 75,000 more.

The COCOBOD CEO, in a separate <a href="https://www.myjoyonline.com/48m-jute-sack-contract-signed-in-dec-2024-despite-110000-unused-bales-acting-cocobod-ceo/#google_vignette" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MyJoyOnline</a> report, also made a shocking claim that: “They [COCOBOD under the Akufo-Addo administration] issued an irrevocable letter of credit, $48 million, in December of 2024, when the paper documents show that they had imported jute sacks and over 110,000 have not been cleared for over three years.”

Who are those behind this jute sacks criminality? Are the jute sacks procured directly by COCOBOD or through an entity or an individual? Certainly, those behind these evil procurements would kick against any move to see that the sacks are produced locally in Ghana. If that happens, how would they continue to make money at the expense of the state and the poor farmers? They will continue to import jute sacks from Bangladesh, India and China!

Why an American Rightly Insulted Ghanaians

In my research for my LECIAD thesis, I came across a very rich book on Ghana’s cocoa. A book that I have told a few close friends that if I had my way, I would make it a compulsory read for all Ghanaian students from the junior high school to the tertiary level irrespective of one’s course of study.

In the “Obroni and the Chocolate Factory,” Steven Wallace offers a good read. I was fascinated by the fact that he traced his knowledge of cocoa to Sunyani – my city! Moreover, what got me glued to Steven’s book is that he was brutally honest with whatever he wrote. In his quest to establish a chocolate factory in Ghana, Mr. Wallace – a lawyer– got in contact with his fellow American by name Michael J. “Cogs” Caughlin.

Cogs, who was based in Accra, worked as a staffer with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The American Embassy, in Ghana, had forwarded a letter Steven Wallace wrote them to Cogs. When Mr. Wallace and Cogs met, the latter commended the former for his move to establish a chocolate factory in Ghana but that commendation turned out to rather be a biting jab to Ghana. An insult that I honestly think we deserve and must learn from if we really want to change the story of our unending economic woes.

Cogs told Steven: “Your chocolate factory idea is just what these fuckers [Ghanaians] should have been doing for years. Just march straight up the value chain and leave the bean trading to the idiots in the Ivory Coast.” Knowing the <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hershey-reports-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2025-financial-results-provides-2026-outlook-302679521.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">big money</a> chocolatiers are making from our cocoa by only processing the beans into finished products like chocolate and cocoa syrup, among others, Cogs was right. We need these hard knocks to bring us to our senses.

“Cogs loved almost everything about Africa but he played favourites, and Ghana was at the top of his list, his haloed child,” Steven Wallace noted. It is only sad that while many well-meaning people love and pity Ghana, the country herself barely and hardly shows that same compassion inward. If handlers of our cocoa sector loved the country as Cogs showed his affection, would we have seen the self-sabotage at the COCOBOD?

The Way Forward

When Steven Wallace returned to Ghana the second time in the early 1990s to establish his chocolate factory, he admits Ghana had attempted chocolate production. We were not producing gourmet chocolates, he argued. “To be precise, when I started my company in 1991, Ghana produced almost no finished chocolate. The chocolate that had been attempted in Ghana was roundly acknowledged as some of the world’s worst and had failed to sustain exports to any high-end consumer market. It was rumored to contain paraffin to keep it from melting in the Ghanaian heat,” he wrote.

What is interesting is that Ghana now produces high quality assorted products from its cocoa. In writing my thesis, I spent two days at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) at Tafo in the Eastern Region. Here, I saw the hard work our scientists have done in turning cocoa into chocolate, cocoa powders of various kinds and soaps, among others. While it is true that today we have perfected our trade and export our own manufactured chocolate like the Golden Tree to the international market, the volume of such exports compared with the export of raw beans is insignificant.

We must expand the market by making cocoa consumption a nationwide policy. From the primary school to the tertiary school, banks, government and corporate offices to churches and mosques, cocoa must be an everyday affair. For the schools (whether private or public), students must be billed either annually or per term. For instance, if per term, primary, junior high, senior high/vocational and tertiary students pay, say, GHC50, GHC100, GHC150 and GHC200, respectively, and they will have the privilege and the choice to choose a drink made from either Royale Natural Cocoa Powder (unsweetened) and Alltime Drinking Chocolate Powder (sweetened) at strategically positioned dispensers on their campuses.

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="696" height="522" src="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP1-1.jpg?resize=696%2C522&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-23912" style="width:732px;height:auto" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP1-1.jpg?w=720&amp;ssl=1 720w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP1-1.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP1-1.jpg?resize=560%2C420&amp;ssl=1 560w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP1-1.jpg?resize=80%2C60&amp;ssl=1 80w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP1-1.jpg?resize=696%2C522&amp;ssl=1 696w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP1-1.jpg?resize=265%2C198&amp;ssl=1 265w" sizes="(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Cocoa Butter Soap produced by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG). Photo: Solomon Mensah</figcaption></figure>
</div>

We could decide to add slice of bread to their daily drinks. Also, we could add to the package, say, 10 pieces of the CRIG produced cocoa soaps per student so that instead of the students buying any other brand of soap, their first fixed-option becomes that supplied to them by the state. I must, however, point out that the soap addition to the students’ package must still be pegged at the same fee as aforementioned.

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="696" height="522" src="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=696%2C522&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-23911" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=1024%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=768%2C576&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=1536%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=560%2C420&amp;ssl=1 560w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=80%2C60&amp;ssl=1 80w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=696%2C522&amp;ssl=1 696w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=1068%2C801&amp;ssl=1 1068w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440&amp;ssl=1 1920w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?resize=265%2C198&amp;ssl=1 265w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COCOA-SOAP2.jpg?w=1392&amp;ssl=1 1392w" sizes="(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Cocoa Butter Soap produced by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG). Photo: Solomon Mensah</figcaption></figure>
</div>

If we are to assume without admitting that the total number of senior high students in the country are 600,000, multiplying this number by GHC150 will give us GHC90 million every three to four months. How much is that in dollars? I have recently seen that this national cocoa consumption policy – which I espoused in my LECIAD thesis – is being piloted by John Dumelo, the Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso West Wuogon, as he gives free weekly cocoa drinks to selected pupils in his constituency.

This is very encouraging and he must be commended. Nonetheless, implementing this policy on a national scale should not be free. We may decide to make it free for the aged as we rope in the general public. If Japan, in 2022, launched a campaign dubbed <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/17/japan-government-launches-competition-to-get-people-drinking-alcohol-drinks-tax-revenue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sake Viva</a> to get its youth drink more alcohol so the National Tax Agency rakes in more cash, I do not think nationalizing cocoa consumption in Ghana is an extreme policy.

However, if this policy should work, it would depend on the political will of our politicians. They must be able to prosecute persons who would sabotage the policy in any way. Again, if the politicians and policymakers would heed the clarion call and implement the suggested policy, Ghanaians would in no time live as kings and queens that we ought to have lived all these years — without any right-thinking Ghanaian walking the desert to Libya to risk the Mediterranean to Europe for greener pastures when the pastures at home are greenest!

President John Dramani Mahama and Dr Randy Abbey must be advised not to implement any policy that is still tied to the apron strings of international cocoa processors and chocolatiers as such would not break the shackles we find ourselves in.

Our Independence, for 69 years now, has not really made sense. And it would, indeed, make no sense until we first make sense of our nearly 150 years of farming cocoa – counting from when Tetteh Quashie first planted the crop.

May God bless our homeland Ghana!

Email: nehusthan4@yahoo.com

Twitter &amp; IG: @aniwaba | Facebook: Solomon Mensah
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/talking-drum-ghanas-cocoa-crisis-a-cocktail-of-politics-greed-self-sabotage-part-ii/">TALKING DRUM: Ghana’s Cocoa Crisis – A Cocktail of Politics, Greed &amp; Self-Sabotage! (Part II)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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		<entry>
		<author>
			<name>Aniwaba</name>
							<uri>https://www.aniwaba.com</uri>
						</author>

<id>https://aniwaba.com/?p=23904</id>
		<updated>2026-03-01T19:47:19Z</updated>
		<published>2026-03-01T19:47:17Z</published>
		<category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="TRENDS" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Iran" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Iran State TV" />
		<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Iran&#8217;s state broadcaster says parts of its headquarters have been struck by what it called the &#8220;American‑Zionist enemy&#8221;. In a live announcement on the rolling news channel IRINN at 20:53 local time (17:24) on 1 March, a female presenter said that &#8220;a few moments ago&#8221;, parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) complex [&#8230;]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/iran-state-tv-says-parts-of-headquarters-hit-in-new-wave-of-strikes/">Iran state TV says parts of headquarters hit in new wave of strikes</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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<content type="html" xml:base="https://aniwaba.com/iran-state-tv-says-parts-of-headquarters-hit-in-new-wave-of-strikes/"><![CDATA[
Iran&#8217;s state broadcaster says parts of its headquarters have been struck by what it called the &#8220;American‑Zionist enemy&#8221;.

In a live announcement on the rolling news channel IRINN at 20:53 local time (17:24) on 1 March, a female presenter said that &#8220;a few moments ago&#8221;, parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) complex had come under attack.

&#8220;Currently, broadcasting by the Voice and Vision [IRIB] continues as normal, and our technical colleagues are assessing any possible damage,&#8221; she added.

Earlier in the day, rumours had circulated on social media claiming that IRIB had been hit, though these were later denied, external.

The broadcaster was previously struck during the Iran-Israel war in June 2025. At the time, during a live IRINN bulletin, presenter Sahar Emami was heard exclaiming &#8220;God is great&#8221; as explosions rang out, before a second blast and the partial collapse of the studio ceiling forced her to flee the set.

Source: BBC
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/iran-state-tv-says-parts-of-headquarters-hit-in-new-wave-of-strikes/">Iran state TV says parts of headquarters hit in new wave of strikes</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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			</entry>
		<entry>
		<author>
			<name>Solomon Mensah</name>
					</author>

<id>https://aniwaba.com/?p=23895</id>
		<updated>2026-03-01T14:49:27Z</updated>
		<published>2026-03-01T14:00:00Z</published>
		<category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="TALKING DRUM" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Cocoa" /><category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="Ghana Cocoa Crisis" />
		<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Growing up in Sunyani, Bono Region, school vacation often meant a trip to the village. My parents had cocoa farms at Nsagobesa – a rural community under the Sunyani Municipality, and there, I mostly enjoyed time away from school. My frequent visits to Nsagobesa taught me cocoa cultivation! Even though by then I was a [&#8230;]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/talking-drum-ghanas-cocoa-crisis-a-cocktail-of-politics-greed-self-sabotage-part-i/">TALKING DRUM: Ghana’s Cocoa Crisis – A Cocktail of Politics, Greed &amp; Self-Sabotage! (Part I)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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<content type="html" xml:base="https://aniwaba.com/talking-drum-ghanas-cocoa-crisis-a-cocktail-of-politics-greed-self-sabotage-part-i/"><![CDATA[
Growing up in Sunyani, Bono Region, school vacation often meant a trip to the village. My parents had cocoa farms at Nsagobesa – a rural community under the Sunyani Municipality, and there, I mostly enjoyed time away from school.

My frequent visits to Nsagobesa taught me cocoa cultivation! Even though by then I was a young boy, I grasped all the farm practices—from clearing the land, planting, and pruning to spraying, harvesting, and selling the beans at the cocoa shed. What I had no idea about was the technicalities involved in the cocoa pricing and what became of the beans after they were sold. Sixteen years later, I enrolled at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), University of Ghana, to study for a Master’s in International Affairs.

It was at LECIAD that I could piece together the missing link in my “cocoa studies.” I wrote a thesis that received high commendation from my external supervisor. It was on the topic, “Assessing the Impact of the Ghana-Ivory Coast&#8217;s Floor Price of Cocoa on the World Market.” It was against this background that the recent government of Ghana cut in cocoa prices on stockpiled beans and the farmers’ cry for their money rekindled my interest to once again follow developments in the country’s cocoa sector. Monitoring the political class discuss Ghana’s cocoa sector, however, is like watching or listening to a comedy show.

Now, why don’t we unpack the current crisis by narrating the story from the very beginning?

Tetteh Quarshie Brings in Cocoa

In 1879, a man named Tetteh Quarshie – a native of Osu in the Greater Accra Region cultivated the cash crop in Mampong in the Eastern Region. History has it that he brought cocoa beans to the then Gold Coast from Fernando Po (today Bioko), an island in the Gulf of Guinea. Mr. Quarshie’s cocoa growing was complimented by the local farmers who helped spread it to neighbouring areas such as the Akwapim Hills.

Typical of Ghanaians &nbsp;jumping from one trade to another when they hear it is economically viable; many farmers joined the cocoa growing train. According to Polly Hill, a British anthropologist, in her book, “The Migrant Cocoa-Farmers of Southern Ghana,” by 1892, internal migration had seen farmers from Akim Abuakwa move to areas like Asafo, Apedwa, Apapam and Maase to farm cocoa. It is also worthy to note that farmers from Ga, Krobo and Shai, among others, were not left out in the farming of cocoa.

The effort of the southern farmers soon saw the Gold Coast become the leading producer of cocoa in the world around 1910-1911. According to Polly Hill: “Total exports of cocoa rose from nil in 1892 to 13 tons in 1895, to 536 tons in 1900, to 5,093 tons in 1905, to 22,629 tons in 1910 and to over 50,000 tons in 1914 – when the total export value was over £2 million.” This feat was solely the work of local farmers. No foreigner had a hand in the Gold Coast cocoa boom. It has to be stated that the effort of the Dutch and Basel missionaries to introduce cocoa in the country did not succeed.

Gamification of Cocoa

Before the Gold Coast was declared as the leading producer of cocoa, Sao Tome (a country I visited in 2022) held that “enviable” position around 1908. Ivory Coast took the mantle around 1977-1978.

Since then, Ivory Coast has held this title while Ghana furiously chases its neighbour to reclaim it. &nbsp;In 2003, the then President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufour, attempted to regain Ghana’s lost position to Ivory Coast. Speaking at the 14th International Cocoa Research Conference under the auspices of the Cocoa Producers Alliance (COPAL), in Accra, he said that the 1972 coup d’état which lasted for seven (7) years contributed to Ghana losing its position to Ivory Coast. Journalist Órla Ryan, however, argues in her book, “Chocolate Nations: Living and Dying for Cocoa in West Africa” that Ghana lost the title to Ivory Coast on the grounds that it was not able to raise farmer prices as compared to its neighbour.

But how did we get to the point where cocoa producing nations are ranked in terms of output, among others? First, it started with the colonial masters annually recording their colonies’ trade data, which included cocoa production. For the Gold Coast, these annual trade records – contained in the British Colonial Blue Books – included statistics on the acreage, output and export volumes and they were meticulously published by the British Colonial Office. This reporting later evolved and was formally taken over by the International Cocoa Organization, established in 1973 and headquartered in Abidjan.

The question here is, have the cocoa producing countries ever realised that this ranking of the topmost producers of the commodity is a game to perpetually entrap them? A trap couched as prestige which painfully pins these nations to the seat of “producing countries” while chocolatiers make billions of dollars out of the sweat of cocoa farmers.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

When Prices Swing

Since time immemorial, cocoa buyers have never deemed it right to continually buy cocoa beans at a fair price. Even when chocolate prices continually go high, it does not always reflect on the price of cocoa and that is strategic on the part of the buyers. The problem is that producing countries &nbsp;do not know what to do with their own beans. So, even when they are offered a lower price, they have no option but to accept it.

In this instance, the way out to stabilize prices and make enough from cocoa production could be hinged on two things. You either ensure you do not oversupply your beans or turn the beans into finished products. In 1965, Ghana’s oversupply of cocoa beans distorted cocoa prices on the world market which, according to Ryan, made then Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah to blame the “imperialists” and “neocolonialists” for tumbling the price of cocoa. Certainly, Kwame Nkrumah’s Tema silos would have helped curb oversupply, but they could not be completed before he was overthrown in 1966.

It is interesting to know that Ghana is not alone in the cocoa price shocks. Its neighbour, Ivory Coast, has not been able to make meaning of the basics of economics: demand and supply. In the 1980s, we saw cocoa prices drop drastically from $3 to $1.50 per kilogram. Then in 1988, another fall in cocoa prices got the then Ivorian President, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, infuriated. He vowed that Ivorian cocoa would not be sold for less than $2 per kilogram – a way of getting a good bargain for his cocoa farmers.

Whereas Houphouet-Boigny accused international speculators of distorting cocoa prices, British cocoa traders in Ivory Coast had argued that it was rather an overproduction and oversupply of the beans that caused cocoa prices to tumble.

For this reason, it is economically foolish for politicians to play politics with cocoa pricing. The truth is, once you do not control cocoa prices on the world market, you cannot and must not emphatically promise farmers unimaginable price increases as a way of getting their votes. Actually, increasing cocoa prices for farmers must be done tactfully as any higher increase leads to overproduction, which subsequently drops prices drastically. We are, therefore, not surprised that the National Democratic Congress first increased cocoa prices for Ghanaian farmers and later cut down the prices. Both the ruling NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are guilty of politicizing cocoa.

And predictably, the opposition NPP played politics with the cocoa mess instead of us all collectively sitting down to strategize on how to liberate ourselves from the shackles of this cocoa slavery farmers endure.&nbsp;

The Gold Coast Cocoa Holdup of 1930-31 &amp; COCOBOD’s Syndicated Loans

When cocoa boomed in the 1920s in the Gold Coast, most farmers thought higher prices they enjoyed would stay the same. Some farmers took credit advances or loans from European firms and brokers to expand their farms. These farmers anticipated repaying their loans through cocoa sales. But something terrible happened in 1930 – prices dropped drastically.

It was this situation that brought about the 1930-31 Gold Coast cocoa holdup. Sam Rhodie gave a better historical insight when he wrote that: “The cocoa hold-up of 1930-31 was an economic strike for higher prices directed against the large expatriate buying firms and their monopoly control over the Gold Coast economy.”

These European firms had teamed up and signed the “Pool” agreement where instead of them competitively buying cocoa from the framers with different prices now agreed on a single market price. This, the farmers described as unfair and argued that that contributed to the drop in cocoa prices. They, therefore, protested selling their cocoa to the European merchants. For compliance of the holdup to be effective, gong-gongs were beaten in towns and villages, and a stern warning was issued. Whoever sold their cocoa or bought European goods risked one year of imprisonment.

“Sellers in the markets, brokers, carriers and labourers were beaten up, fined and arrested for breaking the prohibition,” Sam wrote in his paper, “The Gold Coast Cocoa Holdup of 1930-31.” Most of these farmers had pledged their lands or crops as collateral for the loans. As the prices dropped, they realized they will make less sales which could barely service their loans. While the protest was “particularly intense and well-organised,” Sam Rhodie noted, it “was effective for less than two months and when it was over, the price of cocoa was lower than when the hold-up had begun.”

Did the holdup fail? The colonial government, among other things, declared the protest unlawful. But the question is, even if the protest continued, how long could the farmers have held up their cocoa without the beans getting rotten?

Knowing this history of our farmers going for loans to prefinance their cocoa, which they ran at a loss, why did the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) repeat the same mistake for over 30 years by going in for syndicated loans from international banks? Consider the table below and tell me if COCOBOD, with its past and present staffers—all their “big” degrees in mind—were any better than the 1930 rural farmers who probably knew nothing about basic economics.

<figure class="wp-block-table aligncenter"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><th>1930 Rural Farmers</th><th>Today’s COCOBOD</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Borrowed from firms</td><td>Borrows from international banks</td></tr><tr><td>Pledged crops/land</td><td> &nbsp;Pledges future cocoa exports</td></tr><tr><td>Needed price stability</td><td>Needs stable global prices</td></tr><tr><td>Vulnerable to price fall</td><td>Vulnerable to price volatility</td></tr><tr><td>Credit/Loans limited bargaining power</td><td>Debt servicing constrains policy flexibility</td></tr><tr><td></td><td> &nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>

In the final part of this piece, to be published on March 8, 2026, your reading pleasure will be sustained in this historically explosive and contemporarily revealing tale of Ghana’s cocoa. I also offer a foolproof solution for Ghana to make billions of dollars of its premier cash crop. Will you miss it?

Email: nehusthan4@yahoo.com

Twitter &amp; IG: @aniwaba | Facebook: Solomon Mensah
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/talking-drum-ghanas-cocoa-crisis-a-cocktail-of-politics-greed-self-sabotage-part-i/">TALKING DRUM: Ghana’s Cocoa Crisis – A Cocktail of Politics, Greed &amp; Self-Sabotage! (Part I)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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<id>https://aniwaba.com/?p=23874</id>
		<updated>2025-12-13T17:45:43Z</updated>
		<published>2025-12-13T17:45:41Z</published>
		<category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="TRENDS" />
		<summary type="html"><![CDATA[The children of late highlife legend Daddy Lumba have paid an emotional tribute to their father during his final funeral rites, describing him as a constant presence in their lives despite his passing. During the reading of tributes at the final funeral rites held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday, December [&#8230;]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/you-remain-close-to-us-daddy-lumbas-children-honour-late-musician-at-funeral/">“You remain close to us” — Daddy Lumba’s children honour late musician at funeral</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
]]></summary>

<content type="html" xml:base="https://aniwaba.com/you-remain-close-to-us-daddy-lumbas-children-honour-late-musician-at-funeral/"><![CDATA[
The children of late highlife legend Daddy Lumba have paid an emotional tribute to their father during his final funeral rites, describing him as a constant presence in their lives despite his passing.

During the reading of tributes at the final funeral rites held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday, December 13, the children said: “Since you left, so much has changed, but you remain closer to us.”

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="696" height="392" src="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BRONI.jpeg?resize=696%2C392&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-23876" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BRONI.jpeg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BRONI.jpeg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BRONI.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BRONI.jpeg?resize=747%2C420&amp;ssl=1 747w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BRONI.jpeg?resize=696%2C392&amp;ssl=1 696w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BRONI.jpeg?resize=1068%2C601&amp;ssl=1 1068w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/BRONI.jpeg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Daddy Lumba&#8217;s Odo Broni flanked by mourners. </figcaption></figure>
</div>

The words drew emotional reactions from mourners, many of whom have followed the musician’s career for decades.

The funeral ceremony, which drew thousands of fans from across the country, was characterised by a mix of mourning and celebration, reflecting Daddy Lumba’s enduring influence on Ghana’s music scene.

Devotees sang along to his timeless songs, while musicians including Nana Acheampong performed live to honour his legacy.

The burial marked the conclusion of a prolonged legal dispute over the release of the musician’s body, following a decisive ruling by the Accra High Court. The court’s decision paved the way for the family and fans to finally pay their last respects.

Daddy Lumba is remembered as one of Ghana’s most influential musicians, whose work shaped highlife music and left an indelible mark on the country’s cultural heritage.

Source: 3news
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/you-remain-close-to-us-daddy-lumbas-children-honour-late-musician-at-funeral/">“You remain close to us” — Daddy Lumba’s children honour late musician at funeral</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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<id>https://aniwaba.com/?p=22825</id>
		<updated>2025-01-23T01:35:36Z</updated>
		<published>2025-01-23T01:35:34Z</published>
		<category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="TRENDS" />
		<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Hello Everyone, My name is Ifeyinwa (pronounced as /ii-fei-yi-mwha/) and it means “there is nothing compared to a child.” I trust we are getting on well with our various life’s endeavors in this winter, which I know can be very overwhelming especially for newbies like me in this part of the world. But then, we [&#8230;]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/wots-n-wears-in-winter/">Wots ‘N’ Wears in Winter</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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<content type="html" xml:base="https://aniwaba.com/wots-n-wears-in-winter/"><![CDATA[
Hello Everyone,

My name is Ifeyinwa (pronounced as /ii-fei-yi-mwha/) and it means “there is nothing compared to a child.” I trust we are getting on well with our various life’s endeavors in this winter, which I know can be very overwhelming especially for newbies like me in this part of the world. But then, we just keep going on, looking stronger than what we have been through for it will all add up soon and can only get better.

There are lots of things that preoccupy our minds when we are about to embark on a journey to a higher level in life. Be it academic to get a new degree, an upgrade in professional status, the start of a new career or even relocation to a new country. We are mostly excited about what we have planned for, but tend not to give attention to the things that will determine how it all goes when we get to that new level.

The US is a beautiful country, a land of opportunities as it is widely called; But please try not to get all caught up in the frenzy and leave your primary purpose unattended. US is a country that promotes diversity and inclusion. The country boasts of the best Ivy league schools in the world and prides itself of a vibrant workforce mostly made up of immigrants from around the world who have found a home in the US.

Now, hold on a minute; this piece is not about the US but about those who seemingly migrate unprepared. It is the winter season in the US and I am mostly concerned about my fellow international students who have traveled thousands of miles to obtain a degree in the US without adequate knowledge or preparation for the winter.

&nbsp;I have been procrastinating to get this out to a broader community for a while, but have had a couple of major hurdles due to some very challenging situations settling in a new environment like the US. But not to worry, finally I have put this piece together to help newbies like me get it right and settle in just fine.

In winter, the weather can go from sunny to cool, to breezy, to cold, and then finally to freezing in just some hours, so you really want to prepare for it. They say if you do not plan, then you have planned to fail. So, I came up with this piece tagged the “Wots ‘n’ Wears in Winter” to help us know the DOs and DONTs in clothing especially, as it is typically very cold this time of the year in the US and coldest in January. So, if you think December is not friendly, then wait till you meet the sibling January.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Winter jacket – the one that gets to your knee is advisable just in case you cannot get the one that goes all the way down to your ankle. Ensure the jacket is padded enough to keep you warm. A jacket that cannot be zipped or buttoned up is not one you need this winter. They come in various materials so choose wisely seeing that the weather can get really humid sometimes.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Thermal wears – these are lightly fleeced clothing you wear inside before putting on your sweat shirts/pants and then get to wear the actual dress for the day. This act is called “layering”. Ensure to invest in thermal wears as they help to keep you warm from the inside. If you want to keep warm this winter, then it is all about LAYERS!!!

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Oversized clothes – Trust me when I say you would not mind looking like a balloon just to keep warm. These oversized clothes help create space for the thermal wear and the sweat shirts/pants to fit just fine…you do not want to choke on tight outfits this winter. Those baggy pants and big pullovers will definitely come in handy here.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Head warmer – these are fleeced or closely knitted hats and caps you wear to keep the brain from freezing in winter. Ensure to get ones that cover up the ears or get ear muffs as well. Thankfully thick hairs, the wigs, locs and braids become quite helpful because “bald and bold” do not go together in winter.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Socks – do not let their size deceive you; they look like they do not matter until you cannot feel your feet anymore in winter. Invest in fleeced socks and wear them all the time.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Winter shoes – these can be boots or sneakers…whatever you do, get the ones that suits the weather. Ensure the soles are not smooth to avoid frequent slips. The rougher the soles the better grip you have while walking in winter. A trick that works for me is not to go for your exact size when looking for a winter shoe. Look for ones that are two sizes more than your actual shoe size. This will give room for the layers of thermal socks and still keep your feet warm.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Hand gloves – do not wait till those phalanges cannot make a fist before you give them attention. In this world of technology, there are gloves that still let you operate your touch screen phones while you keep those hands warm. Winter hand gloves come in categories so please ask questions when buying one.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Nose coverings – this is optional as not everyone gets the runny nose during winter due to harsh breeze. A nose mask will do you good and keep away the harshness of the weather from hitting straight into your nostrils.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lip balm – those in the business of lip moisturizers sure smiles to the bank every winter. Do not let those pretty lips crack before you balm them up. The crack does not respect gender. These days, pocket sized lip balm is your go-to.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Petroleum jelly – whether it is the petroleum jelly or body oil, trust me, you need lots of it this winter to help keep your skin glazed and supple.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Water bottle – no matter what you do this winter, please take a lot of water to help keep you hydrated.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Weather forecast – it is better to be safe than sorry. Always check to know what the weather forecast says about each day before you make that move outside. Sometimes the weather might need you to go out in your polymer winter jacket or leave home with an umbrella because there might just be showers of blessings later in the day. Above all, do not go outside not knowing what the day will look like.

A good friend once said to choose between being pretty and being warm. In this winter, choose wisely and yes, you can have the best of both worlds. Remember that you do not need to break a bank to get the above mentioned winter wears, thankfully the thrift shops serve it like it’s hot and as good as new. You will save some good dollars when you patronize them. These thrift shops are located in every area. Just ask around for the ones closest to you or check the internet for more options. For those who understand the weather better, look around you and help someone keep warm, by donating a winter item or two. Thank you for taking out time to read ME.

I hope someone finds this helpful.

Have a fun-filled holiday and stay warm.

By Ifeyinwa Nwobi | Image: Boston Herald

The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/wots-n-wears-in-winter/">Wots ‘N’ Wears in Winter</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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<id>https://aniwaba.com/?p=22819</id>
		<updated>2024-11-06T03:53:00Z</updated>
		<published>2024-10-16T16:56:00Z</published>
		<category scheme="https://aniwaba.com" term="TALKING DRUM" />
		<summary type="html"><![CDATA[“He who does not like flies,” a Burundian proverb says, “throws what attracts them far away.” But in the case of the farmer-herder conflict in Agogo in the Asante Region of Ghana, the warring parties seem to dislike “flies&#8221;—the conflict—yet find it difficult to throw away “what attracts these flies” – the key driving factors. [&#8230;]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/agogo-farmer-herder-conflict-practical-steps-to-fostering-peace-part-1/">Agogo Farmer-Herder Conflict: Practical Steps to Fostering Peace (Part 1)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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<content type="html" xml:base="https://aniwaba.com/agogo-farmer-herder-conflict-practical-steps-to-fostering-peace-part-1/"><![CDATA[
“He who does not like flies,” a Burundian proverb says, “throws what attracts them far away.” But in the case of the farmer-herder conflict in Agogo in the Asante Region of Ghana, the warring parties seem to dislike “flies&#8221;—the conflict—yet find it difficult to throw away “what attracts these flies” – the key driving factors.

In my previous post on the conflict, I pointed out how somewhat both the local farmers and the herders have run to the police for redress and yet accused the same law-enforcing body of favouring one side of the conflict. Interesting?

The truth is, both parties to the conflict would probably love to live and coexist in peace, but that can or will only happen when the key driving factors pushing them to go head-to-head are resolved.

What could be done to resolve the conflict then? In this piece, I enumerate strategies that, when implemented on the side of the herders, could help bring peace. (Part 2 of this piece will touch on strategies on the farmers’ side too.)

Firstly, a grazing field and folder banks for the herders’ livestock. The Government of Ghana, as espoused by Adomako (2019), and for that matter, the local authorities of Agogo should clearly demarcate a land that will serve as a grazing field for the herders’ livestock. And directly tied to the grazing fields should be the creation of folder banks. With this, the herders will have no incentive to walk their animals to or through people’s farmers to graze on their (farmers) produce, as is usually the case during the dry season across sub-Saharan Africa (Nnaji et al., 2022; Kugbega &amp; Aboagye, 2021).

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="582" height="333" src="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/F6.jpeg?resize=582%2C333&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-22808" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/F6.jpeg?w=582&amp;ssl=1 582w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/F6.jpeg?resize=300%2C172&amp;ssl=1 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 582px) 100vw, 582px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Cattle graze as herder watches over them. Photo: Online </figcaption></figure>
</div>

Again, construction of dams and boreholes. In her September 2019 paper titled “Addressing the Causes and Consequences of the Farmer-Herder Conflict in Ghana,” Margaret Adomako posited that the construction of dams and boreholes would go a long way to have the herders rear their livestock in dignity and prevent further clashes with the farmers. Here, the herders will not walk their livestock in search of water for their (livestock) drinking.

The author argued that the construction of these dams and boreholes could be financed by the government first registering the herders and taxing them accordingly.

Thirdly, the setting up of an abattoir and milk factory. Both an abattoir and a milk-producing factory should be set up (on the side of the herders) where the herders could sell to the public meat and milk. The abattoir, for instance, will partly serve as a ready market for the herders to sell their livestock, from which they can get money to pay their taxes to the government as aforementioned.

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img data-recalc-dims="1" loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="696" height="426" src="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/00510193_6604190302c5e3ad24507eb1f7af016a_arc614x376_w735_us1.jpg?resize=696%2C426&#038;ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-22820" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/00510193_6604190302c5e3ad24507eb1f7af016a_arc614x376_w735_us1.jpg?w=735&amp;ssl=1 735w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/00510193_6604190302c5e3ad24507eb1f7af016a_arc614x376_w735_us1.jpg?resize=300%2C184&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/00510193_6604190302c5e3ad24507eb1f7af016a_arc614x376_w735_us1.jpg?resize=653%2C400&amp;ssl=1 653w, https://i0.wp.com/aniwaba.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/00510193_6604190302c5e3ad24507eb1f7af016a_arc614x376_w735_us1.jpg?resize=585%2C358&amp;ssl=1 585w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An abattoir in Namibia. Photo: AllAfrica.com</figcaption></figure>
</div>

Under the abattoir-milk factory policy, workers at the facility will be a blend of both the herders and the farmers, which will foster their coexistence. Also, the farmers (in general) will be issued a special identification card, which gives them a discount on meat or milk purchased.

Lastly, peace sensitization. The Agogo Municipal Assembly, in conjunction with other relevant stakeholders, must organize peace education to sensitize the two communities, especially their respective youth, on the need to shun violence and embrace peace and coexistence.

Here, the youth would learn the stark reality in the Ivorian proverb, which says, “When the elderly take the decision of going to war, it is the young who have to go.” And the question the youth must answer is: for how long are they willing to go to war, and how certain are they that they will come back home safe and sound?

I am of the utmost conviction that these measures or strategies, when implemented, would bring an end to the age-old conflict.

REFERENCES:

Adomako, M. (2019). (rep.). Addressing the Causes and Consequences of the Farmer-Herder Conflict in Ghana (6th ed., pp. 1–5). Accra, Ghana: KAIPTC.

Kugbega, S. K., &amp; Aboagye, P. Y. (2021). Farmer-herder Conflicts, Tenure Insecurity and Farmer’s Investment Decisions in Agogo, Ghana. Agricultural and Food Economics, 9(1), 1–38. doi:10.1186/s40100-021-00186-4

Nnaji, A., Ratna, N., Renwick, A., &amp; Ma, W. (2022). Risk Perception, Farmer−herder Conflicts and Production Decisions: Evidence From Nigeria. European Review of Agricultural Economics, 50(2), 683–716. doi:10.1108/ijse-10-2021-0578/v1/review1
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com/agogo-farmer-herder-conflict-practical-steps-to-fostering-peace-part-1/">Agogo Farmer-Herder Conflict: Practical Steps to Fostering Peace (Part 1)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://aniwaba.com">Aniwaba</a>.
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