The Member of Parliament for Kwahu Afram Plains North, Hon. Kpeli Worlase, has dismissed the Minority Caucus’s recent protest during the State of the Nation Address (SONA), likening their appearance to “matriculants attending a ceremony at the Cocoa Research Institute”.
During the SONA delivered by President John Dramani Mahama on February 27, 2026, New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs arrived in the chamber dressed in black attire draped with Kente sashes.
The minority stated that the black clothing signified mourning for the struggles of cocoa farmers.
Their sashes bore the Twi inscription, “Cocoa Akuafo Yɛyɛ Mɔbɔ Dodo”, which translates to “Cocoa farmers are in a very pitiful state.”
Hon. Worlase, a lawmaker and private legal practitioner, characterised the display as “needless political propaganda”.
Speaking to host Kwabena Agyapong, he argued that the minority was misrepresenting the government’s difficult financial decisions regarding cocoa pricing—decisions he claims were made to protect farmers in the long run.
“The minority caucus were dressed as matriculants attending their matriculation at the Cocoa Research Institute. They engaged in political propaganda, peddling falsehoods. The truth is that, when the president touched on agriculture, it was deeper than cocoa. It was our hope that cocoa farmers would have been given more, but realistically, it is currently impossible.”
Hon. Worlase emphasised that cocoa is a pillar of the Ghanaian economy that transcends simple agriculture. He maintained that the president’s address provided an honest assessment of the country’s status, specifically regarding the efforts to rectify challenges inherited from the previous administration.
“Once in our lifetime, the president is not exaggerating issues. It was just the true state of things, and for the ones that were in anticipation, he made it clear that they were in anticipation of things to come. So, I am very much sure that the SONA was one of the best I have seen so far.”
The MP concluded that the initiatives outlined by President Mahama would ultimately benefit farmers across all sectors, asserting that the 2026 SONA was a transparent reflection of the nation’s reality rather than an exaggeration.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghan
