CSOs call on Mahama to terminate SML, Agyapa Royalties deals

The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) focused on Extractives, Anti-Corruption, and Good Governance has called on President-elect John Mahama to terminate the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) contract.

The CSOs argue that the current SML agreement has diverted millions of Ghana Cedis into private hands without yielding sufficient benefits for the nation.

They believe ending the contract would close a significant revenue loophole and restore public trust in the country’s financial management.

The coalition includes groups such as the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), iWatch Africa, Revenue Mobilisation Africa (RMA), Third World Network-Africa (TWN-Africa), IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Centre for Extractives and Development (CEDA), Institute of Energy Security (IES), and Human Environment and Livelihoods Platform Foundation (HELP Foundation Africa).

In a letter dated 11 December, the CSOs wrote, *“Your Excellency, the Coalition stands ready to support your administration in implementing reforms that enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency.

To this end, we respectfully present the following recommendations as critical priorities for your new administration.”* The recommendations included terminating the SML contract, which they described as a source of significant revenue loss.

The CSOs further urged the President-elect to abolish the Agyapa Royalties deal and review the Mineral Income Investment Fund (MIIF) Act, describing the agreement as a threat to Ghana’s mineral wealth and citing widespread public opposition.

Additionally, they advocated for energy sector reforms, emphasising the need to reduce political interference in State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) such as the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Ghana Gas.

They called for measures to enhance leadership stability, operational efficiency, and address systemic issues in the energy distribution value chain to improve sector performance and profitability.