Ghana’s government did not fund coconut branding funeral of helicopter crash victims

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Claim: A social media user claims that public funds were used in the branding of coconuts that were served to mourners at the funeral of victims of the August 6 helicopter crash in Ghana.

Verdict: The claim is false. The Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE) has clarified that it was responsible for the branding.

Full Text

Ghana held a state funeral on Friday, August 16, to bid farewell to the eight victims of a tragic helicopter crash that occurred on August 6, 2025.

Among the pictures from the funeral were photos of branded coconuts. The writings on these coconuts varied, with some saying “Ghana Mourns.” In these photos, mourners could be seen patronising the fruit.

Photo of the branded coconut at the funeral for the victims of the August 6 helicopter crash. Photo credit: Facebook

A social media user, @thenationguy, shared the image and claimed that the state had used public funds to brand the coconuts. His tweet, seen here, has gone viral, attracting over 300K views.  

While other users on platforms like Facebook were curious about the government’s involvement in the branding of the coconuts, others claimed the government was “wasting taxpayers’ money on coconuts.”

DUBAWA Ghana decided to investigate this due to the virality of the post. 

Verification

The Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE) has clarified that it collaborated with the Ghana Exports Promotion Authority and Accra-based Joy FM to provide coconuts to refresh mourners at the August 16 funeral, which was held in Accra.

A Facebook post on the day of the funeral said their action was to “support the State [to] send our gallant men home and also give Ghanaians a taste of FAGE and our commodities.”

“All the State did was to give us space. All we did was to serve coconuts and juice for free,” FAGE’s Partnership and Sustainability Lead, Kojo Akoto Boateng, further clarified.

Conclusion

The branding of coconuts that were served at the August 16 state funeral of victims of the recent helicopter crash in Ghana was done by a private association, not the government.