1. Today’s lesson in katanomics is brought to you from the Ghana-Ivory Coast border, where the two countries have decided, once again, to revive the idea of an OPEC for cocoa, or "COPEC."
2. OPEC is an oil cartel envisaged by Venezuelan leaders in the 1940s and successfully sold to Arab sheikhs in the 1950s.
3. [Side note: at its founding in 1960, it chose "neutral" Geneva as its HQ and neutral English as the only working language. The stubborn refusal of the Swiss to grant some diplomatic tax & other benefits led OPEC to move the HQ to Vienna in 1965. Neither Austria nor Switzerland is a member.]
4. Everyone knows OPEC as a club of major oil-producing countries that sets adjustable quotas for its members so that the club can tweak total oil flow into the global market and thus fix prices.
5. The truth is more complex.
6. At its founding in 1960, OPEC accounted for 40% of global oil production. When Arab oil sheikhs decided to flex their muscles and shake the global economy in 1973, the oil shock happened. At that time, OPEC hit its peak control of 50% of global output.
7. Today, OPEC controls less than 37% of global oil output.
8. That is why Ghanaian and Ivorian strategists have been chasing the COPEC dream for more than a decade now. If the two countries produce 65% of the world's cocoa, then why can't they flex their chocolatey muscle too?
9. Here is why I said the OPEC analogy is complex.
10. OPEC is no longer very effective in controlling prices over the medium term. Saudi Arabia and OPEC ally Russia have the most means to adjust short-term output. That can hit prices. But if they play too long, non-OPEC producers in the US & elsewhere simply step up production when prices rise due to the shortages forcing the price level back down.
11. Secondly, OPEC members game their quotas. There is no central enforcement mechanism. And some of the countries have fiscal indiscipline issues that just make it hard for them.
12. All the above simply tells us that commodity cartels are simple political answers but complex and confusing policy solutions, which is the central point of katanomics. It is easier to set a political vision that most people can rally behind than to craft a policy response that survives contact with reality.
13. Ghana’s strategic blueprint for cocoa sees expansion from ~600k tonnes today to 1.5 million tonnes in coming years. How does one control volumes when expansion is the primary policy objective? In a context where Ecuador has taken over from Ghana as the 2nd largest producer and chocolate manufacturers are using more substitutes for cocoa?
14. Ghana has worse cost factors than Ivory Coast because virgin land, migrant labour, and higher commercialisation favour Ivory Coast. Since 2003, Ghana has paid farmers more for cocoa and yet struggled to meet its volume targets. Rather than research more deeply, Ghana simply blames smuggling to Ivory Coast (see detailed piece in the comments).
15. How will quota enforcement work with all this confusion?
16. Furthermore, OPEC oil ministers have more direct control over oil production because state-owned companies produce a lot of oil and oil production can be modulated by simply turning valves on and off.
17. Cocoa production is highly fragmented among millions of small-scale farmers in West Africa. Quota fixing within short timescales is simply impractical.
18. The fact is that Ghana & Ivory Coast have tried to flex market power recent years by adding a $400 surcharge on cocoa called LID.
19. Buyers simply adjusted Ghana's quality premium downwards by $540 to offset the surcharge, leaving farmers worse off by $140 a tonne.
20. In short, when you say "we control 65% of the world's cocoa so our farmers ought to benefit more," you are rallying people behind a political vision about the "desirable WHAT." The policy constraint is HOW you do it by managing multiple trade-offs. That is the lesson of katanomics.
“We have six kingdoms in Suriname, and the highest traditional leaders are called Granman. They follow the same rules and guidelines as in Ghana. We also have a place called Tamale in Suriname, and names such as Tumu. Suriname has the best fufu, gari, groundnut soup, and okro soup.”
— A Surinamese woman shares valuable insights on the connection between Ghana and Suriname while speaking at the Next Steps 2026 Conference on Reparatory Justice.
🇬🇭 “Destiny, come out, nothing will happen to you”
-Moment a group of SHS students went to a teacher’s residence to get their female classmate out of his room.
I SUMMARIZED THIS EXCHANGE
🇿🇦: We are against illegals in SA
🇳🇬: But I am not illegal
🇿🇦: We don’t want foreigners who take our jobs
🇳🇬: I created jobs for South Africans
🇿🇦: We just want you to leave our country even if you created jobs & are documented
🇳🇬: No problem, pay what I invested, I will leave
🇿🇦: We will see you on June 30th
NOTE: That business might get destroyed & the owner killed if this issue is not handled swiftly.
1. NDC is trying everything possible to do the opposite of most of the things they promised.
2. Is it because they're also about to steal from the country or what exactly?
3. If you recover the money without a prison sentence, how will others be afraid of stealing?!
#TODAY
This is a very special day.
This is the day on which in 1949 Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Founder of the modern Republic of Ghana, and his comrades gave birth to the Convention Peoples’ Party (CPP) which led the then Gold Coast to free itself from the yoke of colonial bondage.
From then on, Nkrumah and the CPP became the vanguard of the national liberation struggle throughout Africa and inspired all oppressed people around the world to resist oppression and domination.
I stand up in a red salute to the Osagyefo and all his comrades, including Kojo Botsio, Komla Agbeli-Gdemah, Krobo Edusei, Caseley-Hayford, and the Jantuahs.
Their struggles still inspire us in our bold confrontation with capitalism in all its ramifications.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for over 40% of deaths in Ghana and drinking too many fizzy drinks can increase the risk of developing NCDs. Mandatory Front-of-Pack Warning Labels can help us to know when a product is high in sugar, salt or fat & help us choose wisely.
WEI 🤦🏽Lazy South African 🇿🇦 Women Jubilate After Forcefully Taking Over a salon owned by a Ghanaian 🇬🇭 immigrant in Empangeni a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa 🇿🇦 as part of the ongoing xenophobic attacks targeting foreign nationals in South Africa 🇿🇦
This teacher went over the study from a group of professors showing that if you give a one of the chemicals found in our public water supply to frogs, it turns them gay.
It’s called Atrazine, it’s on our food and in our public water supply.
@_GhChronicles I support his decision and it’s the wisest decision so far. If for nothing at all, such consequences will force disloyal ladies to stick to their partners instead jumping around without accountability.
A lot of Ghanaian businesses are doing very well until they meet one big client or try to expand.
Then suddenly they are asked to provide: • Company documents • VAT registration • Tax Clearance Certificate • SSNIT Clearance Certificate • Company profile • Business bank account details • Certifications
And that is when many people realize:
“Ei… I only registered a business name.”
No proper company structure. No directors. No company secretary. No shares.
Some businesses do not even have TIN numbers yet. Meanwhile the business is making money every day. This is one of the biggest mistakes many entrepreneurs make. A business can be popular and profitable but still not properly structured.
So when opportunities come: • Big contracts • Partnerships • Investors • Government work • International clients
The business struggles because legally and corporately, it is not ready. This is where corporate lawyers become very important.
Most people think lawyers are only needed when there is a court case. Good lawyers help you structure your business properly before problems even arise.
They help with things like:
Structuring the company properly For example: • Who owns what shares • Who the directors should be • Whether you need a parent company or subsidiary companies as you grow
Preparing proper company documents This includes: • Company Constitution • Incorporation documents • Statutory forms • Internal corporate documents
Ensuring compliance Lawyers help make sure the company complies with: • Registrar requirements • GRA obligations • SSNIT obligations • Annual filings and statutory requirements.
Acting as Company Secretary Many people do not know every company is expected to maintain certain records and filings.
Lawyers help manage those obligations properly so the company stays compliant.
Handling incorporation and registrations This includes: • Company incorporation • TIN registration • VAT registration guidance • Corporate filings • Post-incorporation compliance support
The truth is simple:
There is a difference between: “I sell things” and “I have a properly structured business.” One attracts small transactions.
The other attracts banks, investors, contracts, partnerships, and long-term growth. Many Ghanaian businesses are hardworking and successful, but they delay proper structuring until an opportunity is already at the door.
By then, they are rushing to fix years of neglected compliance in a few days.
Your business may be growing.
But the real question is: Is it properly structured for the next level?
"Ghanaians are gone now, 300 of them. How many 300 jobs were created after the Ghanaians left."
Julius Malema says blaming migrants for job losses deepens colonial divisions and that Ghana’s response risks blaming entire societies for the actions of a few people.
“He is a liar, a thief and wicked, we don’t even know him. He is not a honest person, it is rather Kessben FM who had provided us with a borehole”
-A resident of Funfuni exposes “wannabe Kevin Taylor” Okatakyie Afrifa