The Alliance of CSOs working on Extractives, Anti-Corruption and Governance says government’s responses to concerns on the Agyapa deal are not convincing.
The group reiterated its position for the deal to be suspended, despite its engagement with government on the matter.
At a media briefing in Accra, the Coalition said it is still constrained in its analysis of the transaction, due to the difficulties in accessing the full complement of data used in determining the value of the deal.
The national discussion surrounding the Agyapa royalties deal will not go away. Not even a meeting between major opponents of the agreement and government could bring finality to the issue. The 16 Civil Society organisations meeting under the coalition say, the more they know about the deal, the more concerns it raises. They say there are more questions begging for answers.
Executive Director of the African for Energy Policy, Ben Boakye, discounted government’s claim that registering Agyapa in a tax haven prevents double taxation.
The Co-chair of the Ghana Extractive Sector Transparency Initiative, Dr. Steve Manteaw maintains the deal amounts to elite capture of the country’s mineral resources despite the defense from government.
Government has given the strongest indication it will go ahead to list Agyapa on the London Stock exchange before the end of the year.
By: Mabel Annang.
