Minority, CSOs vow to resist a revised deal
Kofi Bentil insists the deal is robbery of national heritage
Former President John Dramani Mahama has restated the National Democratic Congress, NDC’s, opposition to the Agyapa Royalties deal.
Government through the Finance Minister has recently hinted that the deal that was rejected in 2020 would be resubmitted to Parliament.
In a Facebook post dated May 18, 2022; the former president shared a 2 minutes 55 seconds news clip of IMANI Africa Vice President Kofi Bentil, voicing stiff opposition to the deal.
Among others, Bentil described the deal as one that wouldn’t give Ghana value for money and a robbery by people seeking to collateralize Ghana’s mineral resources for their parochial giants.
Mahama captioned the video thus: “One of the best expositions on the Agyapa deal I've heard so far. As I have already stated, we cannot support the collateralization of every single source of future revenue just to finance today’s consumption.
“We remain strongly opposed to the Agyapa deal. #EnoughIsEnough.” His post concluded.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta last week reiterated that the government will be resubmitting the Agyapa Royalties deal to Parliament for consideration, two years after it was abandoned following opposition by the Minority in Parliament and Civil Society groups.
Already, there is a groundswell of opposition from the same quarters with the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee, John Jinapor, warning that the revised deal will not be entertained.
A number of CSOs have hinted that they will strongly oppose the revised deal because next to nothing had been changed in the original document that was withdrawn by the government, according to Dr. Yao Graham of the Third World Network.
View his Timepath below;
John Dramani Mahama