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It was to be expected that the Minority in Parliament would show up for the 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) in a typical, mostly predictive style.

And with this practice not being anything new to this current Parliament, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs did not disappoint.

Uniformly robbed in all black attires and the same kente sashes, the Minority members, led by Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, staged what was a ‘parliamentary protest’ to the appearance of John Dramani Mahama in the House.

But that was not out of a vacuum, because the president was in Parliament (a House he was once a part of) to perform a constitutional requirement in Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which states:

“The President shall, at the beginning of each session of Parliament and before a dissolution of Parliament, deliver to Parliament a message on the state of the nation.”

Yet, with their all-black attires, the NPP MPs were in dissent of Mahama’s appearance in Chamber of Parliament, with clear messages on their uniform sashes reading, “Cocoa Akuafo Yayɛ Mɔbɔ Dodo,” a Twi phrase that translates as ‘Cocoa farmers have become so pitiful.’

This comes on the back of the recent decision by the government of Ghana to reduce the farmgate cocoa price, set annually by market regulator COCOBOD.

The earlier price, GH¢58,000 a ton or nearly $5,300, has since been slashed to GH¢41,392 ($3,580) per metric ton for the rest of the 2025/2026 season

This situation has largely been challenged by the Minority MPs, who believe that it is unfair to the farmers.

But the government has provided its defenses, as shared by the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.

“The current situation is largely driven by the unwillingness of buyers to purchase Ghana’s cocoa because it has become uncompetitive and very expensive,” he said.

But the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs have been un-understanding, communicating that in Parliament on Friday, February 27, 2026, as President John Dramani Mahama delivered his SONA.

Their coordinated songs in protest in the chamber, drew attention further to their stance that there is have been worsening conditions facing cocoa farmers, declining production, and ongoing difficulties within the industry.

And in their all-black attires, they say it is an interpretation of this simple message: they are mourning cocoa farmers whose livelihoods they say have been severely affected by this new reduction in the farmgate prices for cocoa beans.

Meanwhile, the MPs also had in their hands, cocoa pods, clearly sending across their message to the sitting president, albeit through a momentary protest in the Parliament House.