<\/p>\n
Charles Owusu, formerly of the Forestry Commission has scolded Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta over some comments made on the return of the Agyapa deal.<\/p>\n
The Finance Minister disclosed that the deal will be tabled before Parliament again: “It is not about whether the monetization of mineral royalties or listing of the is bad or good, it is good because that is how you raise resources”.<\/em><\/p>\n “If we have a problem with the process, let’s articulate it, let’s cure it, but let us not drop something that would be good for us and reduce our debt exposure. My mind is still there [on Agyapa]. I know the President has mentioned something about that,\u201d<\/em> the Minister added<\/p>\n However, Charles Owusu believes the Finance Minister had it wrong.<\/p>\n Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM’s ‘The ‘<\/strong> program, he ranted: “What do you mean; Is Ghana yours? Ghana is not for any individual to make decisions without anyone\u2019s input. If that is the case why is it going to Parliament? Wisdom does not lie in one person . . . even though NPP is in government it doesn\u2019t mean Ghana belongs to NPP; that they can do whatever they like with the country\u2019s resources without our consent. We\u2019re not in a dictatorship era where you can do anything you like”.<\/em><\/p>\n He continued: “You can\u2019t speak like this . . . you have been in charge of the nation’s finances since 2017 . . . we\u2019re in crisis and people are already angry; we indeed need money to develop the nation but if you borrow are you not going to pay with the tax payers\u2019 money? Or it\u2019s only you and your family members who will pay?”<\/em><\/p>\n “Everyone\u2019s input matters because everyone is a shareholder . . . the fact that you\u2019re a Minister doesn\u2019t mean you should be worshipped . . . everybody has a say,”<\/em> he added.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Charles Owusu has asked that the debate on the ‘new’ Agyapa deal should be made open.<\/p>\n Listen to him in the video below<\/strong><\/p>\n