President Assents to 10 Bills, Fulfils Cocoa Farmer Price Pledge
President John Dramani Mahama has assented to 10 new bills into law, covering reforms in customs administration, justice, defence, taxation and the cocoa sector.
The President signed the bills into law at the Jubilee house, where he explained the details and objectives of each piece of legislation.
Among the laws is the Customs Act, 2026, which consolidates all previous customs legislation into a single document.
“It codifies all the Customs Acts into this document. It makes it simpler to administer and to make it more efficient,” President Mahama said, adding that the law will seal loopholes that have caused revenue losses due to the scattered nature of the previous legislation.
The Community Service Act, 2026 introduces non-custodial sentences for misdemeanours and other minor offences, allowing convicted persons to serve their sentences through community service rather than imprisonment.
The Tribunals Act, 2026 gives effect to a constitutional provision empowering the Chief Justice to establish regional tribunals to handle certain categories of offences.
President Mahama also signed the Maritime and Related Offences Act, 2026, which covers crimes committed at sea and gives domestic legal effect to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which Ghana is a signatory.
The National Defence University Act, 2026 formally accredits courses run by the National Defence University and establishes it as a legal and statutory entity.
On taxation, the President signed the Income Tax Amendment Act, 2026, which exempts persons earning the minimum wage or below from paying income tax.
The Energy Sector Levies Act, 2026 requires factories and maritime vessels that use fuel oil, previously exempt, to pay taxes and subsequently present evidence for reinvestment, closing a loophole that had existed for years.
The Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 incorporates reforms in the cocoa sector, including a commitment to process at least 50 percent of the country’s cocoa beans locally and to pay farmers 70 percent of the world market price for their produce.
“So promise made, promise fulfilled,” President Mahama said of the cocoa sector commitments.
The Value Added Tax Amendment Bill, 2026 provides an adjustment to VAT following an agreement with large-scale gold mining companies to surrender 30 percent of their gold to the Bank of Ghana, exempting them from paying VAT on it.
The Excise Act, 2026 consolidates previous excise laws affecting alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and other dutiable goods, and blocks loopholes for revenue leakage.
The law also exempts local manufacturers of fruit juices from paying excise duty as an incentive for local production.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
