{"id":116003,"date":"2026-02-19T05:55:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T05:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=116003"},"modified":"2026-02-19T05:55:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T05:55:06","slug":"accountability-forum-calls-for-forensic-audit-in-cocobod-finance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=116003","title":{"rendered":"Accountability Forum calls for forensic audit in COCOBOD finance"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Ghana Accountability Forum (GAF) called for a forensic audit into the finances of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), as the nation\u2019s cocoa sector undergoes structural reforms.<\/p>\n

In that regard, the forum called on the government to set up an independent committee that would publish its findings to strengthen public sector transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n

The GAF is a non-partisan platform that brings together civil society organizations (CSOs), anti-corruption advocates, media practitioners, youth activists, and concerned citizens to collectively demand accountability in public life.<\/p>\n

It serves as a safe and credible space for dialogue, advocacy, research, and citizen engagement focusing on anti-corruption advocacy, public financial accountability, social accountability, access to information, media freedom, and whistleblower protection.<\/p>\n

A statement issued and signed by Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Interim Chairman of the GAF said parliamentary oversight over the management of the COCOBOD ought to be strengthened too.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact, accountability should not be politicized but rather seen as a national responsibility to safeguard Ghana\u2019s most iconic agricultural sector,\u201d a copy of the statement made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) stated.<\/p>\n

It observed that a comprehensive investigation into the operations of the COCOBOD was required to hold authorities accountable, as the nation reformed her cocoa sector.<\/p>\n

The statement indicated that: \u201cThe scale of financial strain, declining cocoa output, and growing concerns among farmers demand urgent scrutiny of management decisions, financial commitments, and governance practices within COCOBOD\u201d.<\/p>\n

It said \u201cThe current situation within the cocoa sector raises serious questions about oversight, accountability, and long-term sustainability.<\/p>\n

A thorough investigation is necessary to establish the facts and protect the national interest\u201d, saying that: \u201cReports suggest that the COCOBOD\u2019s debt burden has increased significantly\u201d.<\/p>\n

It said the sharp decline in the nation\u2019s annual cocoa production could have far-reaching consequences on rural livelihoods and the broader economy, citing factors like illegal mining, ageing cocoa farms, plant diseases, and inadequate support systems for farmers as major contributors.<\/p>\n

The statement added that: \u201cCocoa is central to Ghana\u2019s economy and identity and that calls for courage, transparency, and reforms, placing accountability at the heart of the sector governance structure.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Ghana Accountability Forum (GAF) called for a forensic audit into the finances of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), as the nation\u2019s cocoa sector undergoes structural reforms.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3101,1221,1883,10,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audit","category-cocobod","category-national","category-politics","category-popular"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=116003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116003\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=116003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=116003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=116003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}