President Mahama makes key appointments to COCOBOD, GRA, National Security
The President has made further appointments to the top management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the National Security Council Secretariat.
The appointments, all made effective Tuesday, January 21, 2025, have renowned football administrator and media personality, Dr Ransford Abbey, as acting Chief Executive of the COCOBOD, while Anthony Kwasi Sarpong heads to the GRA as acting Commissioner-General.
Retired Commissioner of Police Dr Benjamin Agordzor also moves to the National Security Council Secretariat to take charge of Human Resource affairs.
GRA boss
Mr Sarpong is the Senior Partner of the KPMG Practice in Ghana.
Until he was appointed the Senior Partner in June 2019, Mr Sarpong was a Partner and Head of Audit.
He doubled as the sector lead for KPMG’s Financial Services line of business and was also the Risk Management Partner.
He is a Chartered Accountant with over 21 years of experience in audit and advisory services across several sectors, including Financial Services; Consumer and Industrial Markets (CIM); and Telecom, Media and Technology. He leads some of the firm’s largest and most complex cross-functional engagements.
He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG); the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Ghana Association of Restructuring and Insolvency Advisors (GARIA).
Mr Sarpong is also a member of the University of Ghana Business School’s Advisory Board, Vice President of St. Teresa's Old Boys' Association (STOBA) of Nigeria; Chairman of Mary Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Parish (MMGCCP) Education Endowment Fund and the Ag. Chairman of ENACTUS, Ghana.
He holds an MSc in Financial Risk Management from London Metropolitan University, UK; a Post-graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Manchester, UK; and a First Class Honours in Business Administration from the University of Ghana.
In addition, he holds a professional certificate in Taxation from the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Ghana, and a certificate in Investment and Securities from the Ghana Stock Exchange.
COCOBOD CEO
Dr Abbey has worked in the local media for more than 20 years, with his vast experience cutting across the spectrum of radio and television, especially.
He quit media practice only this month, bringing his time on Metro TV’s flagship Good Morning Ghana morning show to a close after nearly 25 years.
Before then he had worked with Radio Gold and Choice FM, both private broadcast media in the country.
His association with football administration dates back to his days with 2000 Africa champions, Accra Hearts of Oak, initially as the head of Public Relations before becoming a full management member.
Dr Abbey rose to become a member of the Executive Committee of the Ghana Football Association in 2006 when the local football structure transitioned into a club-based management system.
He is an unmistakable face and voice, with a prominent presence on many management bodies of the national teams.
He was the head of the Black Meteors Management Board when the team won gold at the Maputo 2011 All Africa Games in Mozambique.
The Accra Academy old student, who was recently made a member of the Black Stars Management Board in a reshuffle to return the team to the glorious days, holds a certificate in Human Resource Management and Public Administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and an advanced certificate in Public Relations, Advertising, and Marketing from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.
He holds a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).
National Security
Dr Agordzo is a police officer with over 26 years of experience in investigations, training, human resource development and police operations.
He is an international training expert, lecturer, facilitator educationist, researcher, consultantand peacekeeper in many multicultural settings, including two missions to Sudan and Somalia.
He holds a Master of Philosophy Degree (MPhil) from the Norsk Laererakademi, Bergen, Norway and a PhD in Human Rights and Politics from the Scuola Superiore Sant Anna School of Advanced Studies, a special-statute, highly selective public research university in Pisa, Italy.
His PhD research centred around peacekeeping and peace-building activities, specialising in the Rule of Law, Security Sector Reforms, Women, Peace and Security and Human Rights, among others.
He was the Director of Operations at the Police Headquarters in Accra, bringing his international experience to bear on national policing, especially in planning security-related activities before, during and after the 2016 elections.