Responsible mining advocacy group, WACAM has asked for the unveiling of persons behind the Agyapa Royalties arrangement.
Government is in a race with time to list Agyapa Royalties on the London Stock Exchange in a bid to raise $500million dollars.
Government is convinced it will raise the said amount by floating 41% shares in Agyapa Royalties described as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for managing 76% of royalties Ghana gets from its mineral resources.
Even though parliament has approved the agreement, Associate Executive Director for WACAM Mrs. Hannah Owusu Koranteng says the whole arrangement remains opaque.
According to her the opaqueness and reluctance of government to make public information on the arrangement defeats years of advocacy for transparency in mining agreements.
Mrs. Owusu Koranteng believes the ready disclosure of information on the arrangement would help Ghanaians conduct their own assessment of the arrangement.
She told Sena Nombo on the Gold Power Drive transparency on the arrangement would also help secure the buy in of Ghanaians.
Government through the Information minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has insisted the deal is in the interest of Ghanaians.
The WACAM Associate Executive Director however believes the questions being raised about the arrangement goes beyond the government’s mandate to make a decision on behalf of the people
She believes the issues being raised are about the right of the Ghanaian to be informed and make an input into such arrangements because the mineral resources are being managed on their behalf by the government.
Mrs. Owusu Koranteng said she expected the government to have led a debate on the arrangement before going ahead with the arrangement.
She indicated that government has signed protocols that mandate the country to be transparent in such arrangements.
Mrs. Owusu Koranteng believes government can still go down to the people and seek their input into the arrangement.
Story: Sena Nombo/Radiogoldlive.com
