Contrary to claims by members of the National Democratic Congress that the Agyapa Mineral Royalty Limited arrangement isn’t the best deal for Ghana’s gold, a mining expert has offered his candid opinion and put the debate to sleep.
Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, a businessman with vast knowledge in small scale mining has offered his expert advice on the matter and maintained that the arrangement by the current government would help bring development to the doorstep of communities where natural resources are mined in Ghana.
“Cadastral is owned by Ghana government, we mine here but at the same time there is also a different market going on with our gold on the stock market. For so long we haven’t been able to go on the stock market and Agyapa going to take us there”, he said.
He further explained that through the Agyapa deal, the government of President Akufo-Addo would be able to give loans the small scale miners and the communities in the form of cash and heavy machinery to enhance their operations.
The flag bearer of the NDC, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has questioned the basis for the agreement between the government and a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company, Agyapa Royalties Limited.
He said despite the Minority’s objection to it, the Majority in Parliament went ahead to sanction the agreement, which he described as a deal shrouded in secrecy.
But speaking on the Good Evening Ghana show with host Paul Odom-Otchere, the owner of Hansol mining, a company which was deliberately destroyed by former President Mahama and the NDC, noted that for so long several mining communities were deprived of development because foreign investors held more power than the owners of the land they mined on in Ghana.
“All previous governments couldn’t help small scale miners. But with the Agayapa deal, it is here to help the whole Ghana unlike Mahama who wanted to solely give $460billion worth of bauxite to his brother, Ibrahim Mahama”, he pointed out.
He asserted that to change the situation around, the Akufo-Addo led government has realized that he has to empower areas where gold and other resources are mined by giving the traditional rulers and their subordinate the power to negotiate and develop with people who intend to mine in their areas.
Aside mining the gold in Ghana, Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako explained that there is a bigger business on the stock market which Ghanaians are losing out.
He explained that foreign investors were rather making more money off Ghana on the stock market when the land rather belonged to the chiefs and clans residing in Ghana.
“Agyapa deal is very good for Ghana because you will that the government of Ghana under President Akufo-Addo has brought community mining is negotiating for a better deal for the communities on the stock market aside mining the gold here”, he explained.
The Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, has also said the Agyapa Mineral Royalty Limited arrangement was the best deal for Ghana’s gold.
Government, he revealed was excited about the listing of Agyapa Royalty Company in London as the first royalty company of that nature in Africa.
The Finance Minister bemoaned the situation where a country like Ghana that had mined gold since the 15th century with the Portuguese could not boast of any international listed company either in gold or in cocoa.