Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, the Minister for Information, says Kofi Bosompem Osafo-Maafo, the son of Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the Senior Minister, has experience in mineral royalties’ transaction and his track record in some of the countries he has worked for very much qualifies him to engage in the Agyapa Royalties deal.
Speaking on PM Express on Joy News, the Information Minister said, nothing barred Kofi Osafo-Maafo, who is currently a deputy director-general of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) from participating in the deal.
Oppong-Nkrumah indicated that he does not think it is a scheme by the ruling government to amass wealth for persons close to the President.
“Show me the scheme because Osafo-Maafo’s son who over the years has been very experienced in mineral royalties […] but why must he be barred because he is Osafo-Maafo’s son?” he asked.
Oppong-Nkrumah, who is the MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi, noted that Kofi Osafo-Maafo is qualified like any other Ghanaian who is qualified to be working with Agyapa Royalties.
He disagreed with the narrative that Kofi Osafo-Maafo’s father is a politician associated with the current administration and, therefore that there is a conflict of interest or that he was favoured.
“Please! Please!! Let’s not do this to ourselves because tomorrow your son when he has an opportunity to do something we will say because his father is a known journalist in this country […] he is disqualified,” Oppong-Nkrumah said.
He challenged all those who have raised concerns about the incumbent practising nepotism with the Agyapa Royalties deal to raise informed arguments.
“Is there something untoward in this transaction, if there is, raise it. If there is nothing untoward, don’t [cling] to this argument because one of the persons involved in it is Osafo-Maafo’s son. That the mere fact that it is Osafo-Maafo’s son regardless of his decades of experience in this industry, he should be barred from it, I think that is ridiculous,” he charged.
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