Ghana Launches Land Reclamation Campaign to Revive Cocoa Production

Ghana’s government has announced a bold national initiative to reclaim 200,000 hectares of agricultural land by the end of 2025 in a strategic move to revive its struggling cocoa sector.

The campaign aims to restore cocoa output to former levels after production plummeted to its lowest point in over two decades.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Finance posted on X (formerly Twitter), the land acquisition project will focus on supporting smallholder cocoa farmers and increasing long-term productivity. The ministry described the effort as a critical step to stabilize and revitalize Ghana’s cocoa industry.

Ghana is the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, but its annual output has declined from a peak of 1 million metric tons to around 500,000 tons. This drop has been largely attributed to climate change and the widespread impact of illegal gold mining, known locally as "galamsey."

Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson, who also serves on the board of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), called the sharp fall in cocoa production a national crisis that demands bold political action.

He emphasized that the initiative is not designed to replace existing farms, but rather to reinforce and scale up the operations of small-scale farmers.

The land reclamation drive is part of broader efforts to modernize Ghana’s vital agricultural sector, which remains a cornerstone of rural livelihoods and foreign exchange earnings. Cocoa exports contribute significantly to the country’s economy, and the prolonged decline in output has directly impacted export revenues and living standards in farming communities.

Illegal mining has severely degraded cocoa farmlands, especially in the eastern and western regions, where contaminated soil and water have made cocoa cultivation increasingly difficult. The government hopes that reclaiming and rehabilitating this land will reverse the damage and secure the future of cocoa farming in the country.