Some CSOs have threatened court action over the deal
Agyapa deal will lead to equity resources, Ofori-Atta
Ghana’s mineral resources are not for the President, CSOs
Agyapa deal to be re-submitted to parliament
Some CSO’s have called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to allow for a thorough debate on the future of Ghana's mineral income.
The CSOs in a joint statement reiterated their
Read full articledisapproval of the Agyapa deal, noting that the deal is inherently illegal thus should be sent to Parliament for approval.
The Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) totaling 24 including the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) and the Centre for Extractives and Development Africa (CEDA), stated that they would embark on a court action if government turns a deaf ear their call.
“Agyapa is inherently illegal. The President holds minerals in trust. They are not the President's property or his government’s. So, it is required that the agreement be returned to Parliament for approval. Refusing to do so means we will go to court.”
"We call on the government to avail itself for a thorough debate on the future of Ghana’s mineral income. We hold on to the President’s call for national consensus and resubmission of the transaction to Parliament. Anything short of this directive would undermine any trust we have in the words of the President. The President promised to be accountable before the elections and he cannot appear to have changed course after winning the elections, an act which would be deceitful to the people of Ghana."
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in a press conference on May 12, noted that the Agyapa deal is being re-packaged to be presented to parliament.
“My firm philosophical belief really is that the capital markets are meant for something that will lead us to equity resources and we are not leveraging on it. Therefore, it is not the question of whether monetization of mineral royalties or listing of the company is bad or good.
“It is good because that is how you raise the resources. The question is the process of doing that. If you have a problem with the process just articulate it, let’s cure it but let us not drop something that will be good for us that will reduce our debt exposure. So those are two very different questions. How best to do it as opposed to, don’t do it. My mind is still there, I know the president has mentioned something about that going through the AG, Parliament to do that.
“But it is not something that is an asset to the country that one need to drop , you need to examine all your equity and debt positions and the best choice for the country. We will never have done free SHS if we listened to other people that is 400,000 lives that have a chance to do something , we would have stopped shot at e-levy because of the noise, suddenly we have a tax handle that will be pheromonally important for the country. so we need to look at that.”
Meanwhile policy analysts have noted that nothing has changed about the Agyapa deal thus should be sent to parliament for approval.
President of policy think tank, IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe said, "It must be emphatically stated that nothing of significance has changed with the Agyapa deal. It remains a brutal raid of Ghana's mineral resources. And it must go back to Parliament."
Some CSOs have threatened court action over the deal
