Lawyer and Senior Vice President of policy think tank, Imani Africa, Kofi Bentil has reacted to Gabby to Otchere-Darko’s statement calling on Ghanaians to do their bit to help in the development of the country even as the Akufo-Addo administration works to fix it in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the writeup, Mr Otchere-Darko stressed that the call for the country to be fixed is in reference to its 64 years of existence as a nation-state and not just a negative verdict on the Presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo.   He  expressed in belief in Ghana and his optimism that Ghana will get better while rallying others to believe in Ghana and its ability to surmount the current challenges.

But Mr Bentil hit back, saying that no one who believes in Ghana would seek to commit the country to the now  infamous Agyapa Gold Royalties deal.

“No one who believes in Ghana will take our Gold Royalties, undervalue them and vest them in a company owned by faceless persons and base it in a tax haven where Ghanaians or our government cannot reach them or control them. That will be a rape of the nation!!! Who does that?” Mr Bentil lashed out.

It is unclear whether the comment is targeted directly at Mr Otchere-Darko, who supported the deal and whose law firm was involved in the negotiation of it, or Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister who conceived and supervised the deal.

The controversial Agyapa Royalties deal sought to collateralize Ghana’s gold royalties for some $ 500 million for development. But anti-corruption campaigners flagged the deal as not transparent and not in the interest of the country. After allegations of alleged corruption from various quarters, Government suspended the implementation of the deal. But the President has assured that the deal will be back for the input of stakeholders and implementation.

Source: mynewsgh.com