Former Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, has called for the termination of deals between Ghana’s natural resource sector and foreign mining companies.
Speaking as a guest speaker during the second day of the constitution review sitting by the Constitution Review Committee in Accra, she based her assertion on the failure of natural resource stakeholders to harness the full benefits of the country’s mineral resources, instead of offering them to foreign companies to refine and return only a portion to Ghana.
She argued that certain levies and royalties paid to the state after mineral extraction are lower than what Ghana could earn if the mining were conducted independently.
“That form of concession, royalty sort of arrangement between a foreign mining company and the government of Ghana should not continue anymore,” she said.
Justice Akuffo, in light of this, called on stakeholders to adopt a more hands-on approach by acquiring complete mining operations rather than outsourcing the work to foreign companies.
“It should definitely not continue anymore because the loss to the state is greater than if we had just left the mineral in the ground till we get the full value available in the country.”
By: Kobina Baidoo
