Seasoned journalist, Abdul Malik Baako has jumped into the political fray over the widely peddled Agyapa Minerals Royalties deal.
To Kweku Baako, all these objections are nothing but noises.
Speaking on Peace FM, Mr. Baako said he sees nothing wrong with the deal stressing there was a ”healthy collaboration, understanding and cooperation” between former Attorney General of the erstwhile Mills/Mahama regime, the Ministry of Finance and the transaction advisors of the deal when the process began.
He stated that the former Attorney General even offered some advices to guide the deal and so wondered why the NDC and Minority would now turn around to oppose the deal when the AG, before the NDC government was voted out of power, was actively involved in the preliminary discussions to approving the deal.
”There was a healthy collaboration, understanding and cooperation and people taking the Attorney General’s advice for what it’s worth in order to push forward that process.”
Mr. Baako further called on the conspiracy theorists to hush up on the deal stressing there is no conflict of interest, particularly with the appointment of the Senior Minister’s son and Gabby Otchere-Darko to handle the deal.
”The noise is too much but we voted for it. We voted for creating a space where the noise can be accommodated however ugly.
“What I find remarkable about that whole thing is it made me realize that the perception or if you like conspiracy theory that this is an attempt by the government to craft some scam and throw it there for people just to consume is not very sustainable,” he stated.
Agyapa Minerals Royalties deal
On Friday, August 14, 2020, Parliament approved five agreements to permit Ghana to gain maximum value from its mineral resources.
The agreements were also to allow the country monetize its mineral income in accordance with the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Act of 2018 (Act 978) with the Act empowering Agyapa Royalties Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle, to secure about $1 billion.
The money is intended to be used to finance infrastructural projects in the country.
According to the deal, Agyapa Royalties Limited will operate as an independent private entity and raise funds from the capital market from the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
