Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor has disclosed that the government will discontinue the Gold-for-Oil programme initaited by the past New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
According to him, the programme lacks clarity and there is a high level of opacity so they will end it and replace it with a better programme that can be transparent.
“Just as you are confirming, there is a high level of opacity, and the clarity is not there. And the Auditor General has flagged it. So it’s not just what we are saying, the reality is that we are reforming all this because of the high level of opacity. If it were that clear, and was that transparent, and you could see everything easily, then you would not even need the reforms we are pursuing.” The Minister made this disclosure during an interview with Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
Mr. John Abdulai Jinapor further said it is difficult for the government to provide information on the programme and for that matter it is imperative for the Mahama new administration to do reform on the programme.
“We are pursuing these reforms because of the opacity and the lack of clarity and how difficult it is to get information, even in respect of offshore and all these companies that are dealt with. The criteria for even selecting the companies is not clear-cut. So clearly, there is a problem that is why we want to reform.” He added.
The Minister continued “No, we will replace it with a better programme. The current Gold-for-Oil programme we have inherited, we will discontinue it but you need some time to put a workable system in place. If you want to set up a new system, you have to go to Parliament and have some legal battles.
“In the interim, we are trying to shift the current system and ensure that we reduce the losses and make it a bit more transparent, but ultimately, we want to replace it with the Gold-for-Oil programme.”
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
