February 14, 2026
News
President John Dramani Mahama has called for an emergency cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, 2026, to address the worsening crisis in Ghana’s cocoa sector.
The meeting was announced by the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, February 10, 2026.
The move comes amid mounting concerns over delayed payments to cocoa farmers and broader financial stress within the sector.
The Minority in Parliament has repeatedly sounded the alarm over the situation, urging the government and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to take urgent action to stabilise the industry
The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee, Isaac Yaw Opoku, has criticised the government and COCOBOD for failing to reimburse Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), a delay that has left many farmers unpaid for several months.
He said funds owed to LBCs — which purchase cocoa beans on behalf of COCOBOD — now exceed GH¢10 billion, constraining the companies’ ability to pay farmers and threatening the viability of cocoa purchasing operations.
The payment delays have sparked frustration among farmers nationwide, with some calling for immediate settlement of arrears.
Cocoa farmers have also expressed dissatisfaction with assurances from COCOBOD about resolving the issue, urging the board to move beyond promises and deliver payments without further delay.
In response to the crisis, COCOBOD has stated that it has begun making payments to LBCs to enable them to clear outstanding obligations to farmers.
The board is also exploring new financing arrangements aimed at long-term stability.
The emergency cabinet meeting is expected to focus on government interventions to address the liquidity challenges in the cocoa value chain.
Credit/Citinews
At least 53 migrants, including two babies, are dead or missing after a small rubber boat overturned in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has confirmed The boat was carrying 55 people when it capsized on 6 February, north of the Libyan town of Zuwara. Only two women from Nigeria survived the incident and were rescued by Libyan search and rescue teams
The IOM described the incident as another painful loss of life along the Central Mediterranean migration route, one of the most dangerous migration paths in the world.
IOM officials said their teams provided urgent medical care to the two survivors after they were brought ashore, working closely with local authorities.
According to the survivors, the boat left Al-Zawiya, Libya, at about 11 p.m. on 5 February. After about six hours at sea, water entered the boat, causing it to overturn.
Data from the IOM show that the situation remains very serious. In January alone, at least 375 migrants were reported dead or missing on the Central Mediterranean route. Many of these deaths happened during shipwrecks that were never officially recorded, often due to bad weather.
So far in 2025, more than 1,300 migrants have gone missing on this route, according to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project. The latest incident has pushed the number of migrants reported dead or missing in 2026 to at least 484.
The IOM warned that human traffickers and smugglers continue to take advantage of migrants, placing them in unsafe boats and exposing them to serious danger, abuse, and exploitation.
The organisation is calling for stronger international action to stop smuggling networks and protect migrants. It also urged governments to create safe and legal migration options to reduce dangerous journeys and prevent more deaths.
The IOM stressed that without urgent global cooperation, more lives will continue to be lost at sea.
Credit/ Myjoyonline.com
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