Sammy Gyamfi urges NPP to cease implying ECOWAS court approved Agyapa Deal

• Aug 18, 2023

Sammy Gyamfi, the Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has clarified that the recent ruling by the ECOWAS Court of Justice does not imply approval or vindication of the Agyapa Royalties deal as claimed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The ECOWAS Court of Justice recently dismissed an application to stop the Agyapa deal from proceeding, but Sammy Gyamfi stressed that the ruling was centered on whether the deal violated the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, not the substantive concerns raised by the NDC.

Gyamfi emphasized that the NDC’s concerns about the Agyapa deal are related to procurement breaches, the payment of advisory fees to entities like Databank, and potential violations of Ghana’s constitution and public procurement laws. He stated that these issues were not the focus of the ECOWAS Court ruling, and the court lacked jurisdiction to address them.

The ECOWAS Court of Justice ruling stated that the anti-corruption agencies in Ghana failed to provide evidence that the Agyapa deal would deprive Ghanaians of their common wealth. The court also recognized that Ghana owns 100% of the Agyapa deal and that floating 49% of it on the London Stock Exchange does not constitute deprivation of national wealth.

Sammy Gyamfi’s comments clarify that the ECOWAS Court’s ruling pertains to specific legal aspects and does not address the broader concerns raised by the NDC and other critics of the Agyapa Royalties deal.