The Chairman of the South African National Democratic Congress (NDC) Council of Elders, Benjamin Kofi Quashie, has stated that Ghanaians should carefully analyze the ruling of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice (CCJ) on the Agyapa deal before making informed suggestions. Quashie, who also serves as the Group Chairman for Allied Consortiums, emphasized the need to read the court’s submission to fully understand its reasoning and conclusions.

During a discussion on JoyNews paper review on July 13, Quashie expressed concern and surprise that the Agyapa deal is still being discussed. He stressed that the sentiments of the Ghanaian people should not be taken for granted, and it is important to await the court’s detailed submission to grasp the nuances of the ruling.

Quashie acknowledged that the organizations that brought the case to the ECOWAS court were able to convince Ghanaians about the challenges associated with the Agyapa deal. He emphasized that after reading the court’s reasons for the ruling, Ghanaians would be able to make informed suggestions moving forward.

Regardless of the ruling’s outcome, Quashie asserted that the Ghanaian people have voiced their opposition to the Agyapa deal, and their concerns should be respected.

The Agyapa deal involves a Gold Royalties Monetization Transaction arrangement, which was challenged by three anti-corruption groups: Transparency International, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC). The groups filed a suit against the Government of Ghana (GoG) in December 2020, seeking to halt the Agyapa deal. They argued that politically exposed individuals dominated the deal and that it infringed on Ghanaians’ rights to permanent sovereignty over the country’s natural resources, as outlined in the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.

However, the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, based in Abuja, Nigeria, upheld the government’s defense and dismissed the case brought by the three civil society organizations.