CSOs slam government again over lack of consultation on Agyapa deal

The Alliance of CSOs working on Extractive, Anti-Corruption and Good Governance has accused the government of sidelining its concerns about the Agyapa Royalties agreement.

The leader of the Alliance, Dr. Steve Mantaew on Eyewitness News said the government had refused to take into consideration their concerns about the agreement.

“I think this government is pretending they do not understand what we mean by public consultation when we tell them that they do not do adequate consultation before passing the law.”

Dr. Manteaw’s comment follows the Finance Ministry’s justification of the agreement at a press conference held on Thursday, August 27, 2020.

He chided the government for justifying the lack of details about the deal.

“When you manipulate the process and you work in a way that is not very open to public scrutiny and you come and justify it, then it does not appear you understand how to cure a conflict of interest situation.”

Civil Society groups in Mines and Energy have raised concerns over the deal, describing the Agyapa Royalties agreement as one which is not transparent.

This was after officials of the Minerals Investment Fund (MIIF) explained that Agyapa Royalties Limited will be listed on both the Ghana and London Stock Exchanges.

The CSOs have also raised questions as to why the company was established in a known tax haven.

Despite these concerns, the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has said the agreement is wholly in the best interest of the country.

The Minister said, there was a need for government to create value for the country’s mineral resources, especially by leveraging that value to investors.