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Andy Appiah-Kubi, the departing MP for Asante Akim North for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has urged John Dramani Mahama, the president-elect, to form a committee to look into the distribution and distribution of public lands and to examine contracts for natural resources managed by the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources, which is headed by Samuel Abu Jinapor. “I ask that a committee be established to look into the disposition of all public lands. He said on GHOne TV, “And once more, I want us to review all natural resource contracts in Ghana.”
In the midst of the conflict between the Akufo-Addo administration and Blue Gold, a prominent British mining corporation that runs the Bogoso Prestea Mines in Ghana, over the alleged transfer of mining licenses to a local Ghanaian company, Blue Gold has threatened to start international arbitration proceedings under Article 10 of the UK-Ghana BIT if the disagreement is not settled by January 14, 2025. Andy Appiah-Kubi criticized the problems with public resource management.
Sometimes the philosophy of living is more important than the clearance. We have a philosophy in place. People who are overly arrogant with power tend to abuse public space, money, and property, albeit this does not always entail placing them in opposition or government. Let’s stop acting in this way,” he remarked. Mr. Appiah-Kubi underlined the need of honesty in leadership and the necessity of discouraging the practice of abusing public power for private benefit. He said, “Let’s make money in the private sector; we don’t make money in government.” Furthermore, Appiah-Kubi suggested a thorough examination of all contracts pertaining to Ghana’s natural resources. He emphasized the nation’s lost prospects as a result of inadequate resource management, underscoring the need of this action.
Looking back at what we are losing, putting an end to the theft, and making use of our resources are the steps to escaping poverty. When you’re giving away our resources for free, how can you expect a nation to be resourceful?” he asked. The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and Ghana’s Minerals Commission are at odds with Blue Gold, which intends to list on the New York Stock Exchange, over the purportedly unlawful reassignment of mining licenses. According to reports, the Minerals Commission and the departing Natural Resources Minister have declined to take into account Blue Gold’s current licenses or examine its documentation, even though the company has provided evidence of strong financial support, including official investor documentation showing over US$100 million in daily liquidity.
Rather, they want to transfer the licenses to Heath Goldfield Limited (HGL), a business with a mere 10,000 cedis in share capital and no mining experience. It’s interesting to note that the agreement is being negotiated with some National Democratic Congress (NDC) factions who wish to exploit the upcoming John Mahama government and drag the nation into a global legal dispute. In addition to Yıldırım Holding, a family-owned corporation with its headquarters in Turkey that owns businesses in coal mining and shipping, Heath Goldfields Limited (HGL) has been connected to the family of a former Ghanaian finance minister.
In a board meeting on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, the Minerals Commission decided to hand over the mines to Heath Goldfields Limited (HGL) and their Turkish partners, Yıldırım Holding, by December 12, 2024, well in advance of the January 7, 2025, inauguration of the new Mahama government. Critics claim that this action is both politically motivated and unlawful. Any new mining licenses must be approved by Parliament in Ghana in order to be enforceable. However, there is little probability that such a resolution would be approved given the expiration of the present Parliament and the expected transfer of political power to an NDC-dominated legislature. This has sparked worries that the departing NPP government is use its remaining time in office to ram through questionable agreements that favor party insiders.
There are already court cases in progress. On Blue Gold’s behalf, Kimathi & Partners will request an injunction to stop the Ministry from awarding any further leases. Furthermore, Mayer Brown has issued a supplemental injunction against Heath Goldfield Limited. In order to guarantee that its current leases stay valid and intact, Blue Gold has committed to pursuing international arbitration under the UK’s Bilateral Investment Treaty. Due to the protracted conflict, the Minerals Commission has not been able to maintain the site or produce money, and the mine has been out of commission for three months. The lawmaker from Asante Akim North also said that President Akufo-Addo bears some of the responsibility for the ruling NPP’s loss in the recently concluded general elections.
With 6,328,397 votes, or 56.55% of the total valid votes cast, Mahama was proclaimed the winner of the presidency by the Electoral Commission. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP, the former president’s principal opponent, received 4,657,304 votes, or 41.61% of the total. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) won more than 180 seats in the parliamentary elections, costing the NPP many seats in Ghana’s parliament. According to the lawmaker, President Akufo-Addo may be held accountable for his actions or inactivity in addressing Ghana’s economic problems.
I won’t get personal since we lost as a result of the government’s economic management. However, in one instance, I was among those who suggested that since the individual was not living up to our standards, we should replace him. In that instance, I will openly state that he bears some responsibility for his actions or inactions. “But more than that, I will say that our government did not meet the people’s expectations,” he continued.
