The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the government and institutions involved in Ghana’s gold purchasing programme to publish key documents relating to the operations and financial performance of the programme.
Speaking at a press conference, Chairman, of the NPP Policy Co-ordination Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the Bank of Ghana, the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) and the Ministry of Finance must provide Ghanaians with a signed reconciliation explaining the discrepancies in the various figures reported on the programme.
According to him, there remains a significant gap between the approximately GH¢22 billion losses attributed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the GH¢9.05 billion loss reported by the Bank of Ghana, and the GH¢5.45 billion surplus reported by GoldBod.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said the conflicting figures make it necessary for the relevant institutions to provide a clear and comprehensive explanation of how the transactions were conducted and how the different financial outcomes were arrived at.
He also demanded the disclosure of the identities of foreign companies that purchased Ghana’s gold, including the discounts and commercial terms offered to them.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah maintained that removing the BoG Governor or the Bank’s representative from the GoldBod Board would help strengthen oversight and restore public confidence in the management of Ghana’s gold resources.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Vincent Kwofie
