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The Finance Ministry says it is ready to resubmit the controversial Agyapa Royalty Agreement to Parliament as directed by President Akufo-Addo.
This is despite a previous memo issued by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta insisting that due diligence was performed during the transaction process until final approval by Parliament.
“We want to assure the general public that the Ministry of Finance is committed to implementing the guidelines of His Excellency the President,” reads in part a statement signed by the Ministry’s Public Relations Unit.
On Monday, President Akufo-Addo ordered the finance minister to return the agreements supporting the transaction to Parliament so that the approval process can begin anew.
These include the Relationship Agreement, Assignment Agreement, Assignment Agreement, and Investment Agreement.
The instruction came minutes after the Special Prosecutor’s Office, Martin Amidu, communicated his findings from a corruption risk assessment carried out in the transaction.
Along with the directive to the Finance Ministry, President Akufo-Addo had explained that the measure will address previous concerns raised by the minority in parliament and some civil society organizations (CSOs).
The President further urged the Ministry of Finance and the Mineral Income Investment Fund and the Transaction Advisors to take the opportunity to amend the relevant Agreements to take into account the helpful comments received during the series of stakeholder consultations during the last two months.
While acknowledging this in its response to the president, the Ministry of Finance promised to involve the people of Ghana and all stakeholders as part of efforts to secure broader public support for the Agyapa transaction.
