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Deputy Trade Minister Sampson Ahi has revealed that President John Mahama has ordered Ghanaian authorities to deploy all necessary diplomatic and strategic means to overturn a newly imposed 10% tariff on Ghana’s exports, including cocoa, by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, April 7, the Bodi MP confirmed that the president considers the tariff a matter of national interest and has given his blessing for Ghana to pursue all available channels to protect its economic interests.
“President John Mahama has tasked us to ensure that efforts have been made to ensure that this problem of Trump tariffs slapped on the country is addressed,” Mr Ahi stated.
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The controversial move by the Trump team to include cocoa — Ghana’s leading export commodity — in a list of goods now facing a 10% tariff has drawn sharp criticism from Ghanaian officials and trade experts, especially given that the United States does not produce cocoa domestically.
“The U.S. doesn’t produce cocoa, but they have slapped a 10% tariff on its exports,” Ahi pointed out.
“If you want to impose taxes on commodities to remain competitive, you would do that based on the commodities that you have a competitive advantage over us.”
According to Ahi, this latest protectionist measure lacks logic and appears punitive without cause — a view shared during a high-level meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, held earlier in the day.
Mr Ahi disclosed that Ambassador Palmer expressed surprise over the decision to include cocoa in the tariff regime and encouraged Ghana to escalate the matter through more senior diplomatic channels.
“She was surprised,” he said. “She felt that if we pursued it, a commodity like cocoa could be exempted from the 10% tariff.”
“She thinks we should engage at a higher level — that is, bringing in the president at a top governmental level.”
Mr Ahi hinted that President Mahama himself may step in directly if needed to defend Ghana’s export interests.
“I am sure that once we have his blessings, if he has to intervene, he will certainly do so.”
The deputy minister also indicated that Ghana is not standing alone in its resistance. He confirmed that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union are planning a unified response.
“We also know that as Africans, we have agreed to fight this collectively,” he said. “So on the 14th of this month, AfCFTA is organising a meeting with African trade ministers to look at this situation.”
The 10% tariff poses a serious threat to Ghana’s economy and rural livelihoods, especially given that cocoa remains the backbone of the country’s export earnings.
“This is a matter that affects our economy, our farmers, and our export earnings,” Mr Ahi stressed.
“We are not treating this lightly.”
As Ghana prepares for further diplomatic engagement, trade officials and economic analysts alike are watching closely to see if the U.S. will reconsider the cocoa tariff — a move many deem unfair and unjustified.
For now, Ghana is ramping up efforts on multiple fronts — bilaterally, regionally, and continentally — to reverse what could become a precedent-setting trade dispute.
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