UGBS Professor, William Coffie, Appointed Acting Managing Director of Cocoa Processing Company Limited
Prof. William Coffie, a faculty member at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), has been appointed by President John Dramani Mahama as the Acting Managing Director of Cocoa Processing Company Limited (CPC). This appointment comes at a critical time for CPC, a key player in Ghana’s cocoa value chain, which is currently facing significant financial and operational challenges. The company processes cocoa beans into semi-finished and finished products for both local and international markets.
Prof. Coffie is a Financial Economist and Full Professor of Accounting and Finance at the University of Ghana Business School. He currently serves as Head of the Department of Accounting. He holds a PhD in Financial Economics and a master’s degree in finance from Birmingham City University, United Kingdom, as well as a bachelor’s degree in accountancy and several postgraduate qualifications in business administration, marketing, education, and industrial administration.
As a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Marketer, and Chartered Manager, Prof. Coffie is also a Fellow of the Institute of Financial Accountants (UK). He has over 20 years of experience as a university lecturer, having taught at five universities and several colleges across Europe, Asia, and Africa. His teaching spans multiple disciplines, including accounting, corporate finance, investment and portfolio management, financial econometrics, taxation, and strategic management.
Prof. Coffie is a prolific researcher, with over 60 journal and conference publications, and has authored eight textbooks. His work has appeared in reputable journals such as the International Review of Financial Analysis, Journal of Financial Stability, and Accounting Research Journal. His research interests include accounting information, corporate finance, financial inclusion, capital markets, asset pricing, IFRS adoption, corporate governance, auditing, and taxation.
Prof. Coffie’s connection to Ghana’s cocoa industry is deeply rooted; his grandfather was a founding staff member of the Ghana Cocoa Marketing Board (now COCOBOD) in 1948, and his father served as a Depot Manager for the Board in Sefwi Awaso from 1967. Prof. Coffie himself cultivated his first cocoa farm in 1994 and has conducted extensive research into the financial and operational challenges of both COCOBOD and CPC. The University of Ghana Business School community wishes Prof. Coffie well in this new journey.