President of IMANI AFrica, Franklin Cudjoe says the CSOs are unperturbed by the incessant attacks from the government and its communicators in relation to the Agyapa Minerals Royalties Investment deal insisting “Our advice is that deal with all the unanswered questions around Agyapa.”
There has been public outcry over the deal that seeks to leverage Ghana’s mineral resources for primary capital on the international market.
Parliament recently gave approval for the creation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in fulfillment of the Minerals Income Investment Fund Amendment which is yet to be assented by the President.
But the Alliance of CSOs on Extractives, Anti-corruption and Good governance are demanding the suspension of the Agyapa Minerals Royalties Investment deal as it describes the agreement as state capture.
Reacting to the fallouts from the deal, Franklin Cudjoe said they don’t mind the attacks and invectives being hurled at them following their opposition to the deal.
“You organise a colourful launch of your manifesto. We hail some aspects of it, and we need to be discussing others. All of a sudden you allow a deal like Agyapa to take centre stage! Ah! You then unleash all your attack minions on everyone who expresses contrary views, with once great friends when in opposition literally calling some of us incompetent investment illiterates (Gabby), including a whole legal assistant secretary to the President, Kow Essuman, calling all CSOs dumbheads. Well we do not mind. Our advice is that deal with all the unanswered questions around Agyapa. While at it, you need to review your communication strategies and you may review the ToR for your international and local strategists. They are helping you to sink your fortunes,” he wrote in a Facebook Post.
Meanwhile, George Mireku Duker, Board Chair, of the Minerals Income and Investment Fund has said that critics have the right to share their views on the deal but hinted that it will not backtrack in that decision.
According to him, the government’s decision to monetise the country’s minerals royalties through Agyapa Royalties Limited is forward-thinking with Ghanaians’ best interest at heart.
“As Ghanaians, we do think this will benefit us…You know we’ve been talking of South Africa, Johannesburg, and so on because the companies there are owned by indigenes. If you come to Ghana, these companies or the likes, concessionary companies, I mean like Anglogold, Goldfields, and so on are owned by foreigners. So it’s time to give local champions within our environs the chance…”
Source: Kasapa FM
