Dr. Dominic Ayine, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, has been instructed by the government to launch a thorough investigation into the finances and activities of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) during the previous eight years.
At a press meeting on Thursday, February 12, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson announced the directive, detailing steps to stabilise the cocoa industry in the face of growing difficulties.
According to Dr. Forson, the Cabinet made the decision as part of larger initiatives to bring accountability and openness back to the sector’s management.
“To ensure accountability and transparency in the management of COCOBOD and the cocoa sector as a whole, cabinet also directed the Attorney General to commission concurrent forensic and criminal investigation into the activities of COCOBOD over the last eight years,” he said.
The announcement comes after President John Dramani Mahama called an emergency meeting on Wednesday, February 11, to discuss the sector’s mounting worries.
The government says the investigations will run alongside broader structural reforms aimed at restoring financial stability to COCOBOD and safeguarding the livelihoods of cocoa farmers nationwide.
Recent years have seen a great deal of upheaval in the cocoa sector, especially due to payment delays to farmers nationwide.
Stakeholders are worried about the scenario and if Ghana’s status as one of the world’s top cocoa producers can be sustained in the long run.
Source: newsthemegh.com