Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, has urged stronger oversight of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), arguing that the institution must be subjected to the same efficiency standards applied to other public sector bodies.
Speaking on News File on Saturday, January 3, Mr Simons observed that although the Cocoa Board has recorded losses over the past four years, those losses have been closely scrutinised and remain far lower than some of the concerns currently being raised about GoldBod.
“If we are willing to track the efficiency of COCOBOD’s resources, we cannot be restrained from tracking the efficiency with which GoldBod is currently operating. It is the same logic,” he said.
He maintained that any contrary argument reflects a misunderstanding of the issue. According to Simons, even though the Cocoa Board operates primarily as a policy institution tasked with developing the cocoa sector, it is still held accountable for financial losses—underscoring the need for similar accountability at GoldBod.
“Anybody who tells you otherwise doesn’t know what he is talking about. Cocoa Board is a policy institution. Its primary goal is to promote the cocoa sector, but we are very sensitive to losses there.”
