Minority is right, Ghanaians need to know how GoldBod losses came about — Manasseh tells Sammy Gyamfi
Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has urged the Minority in Parliament and the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, to avoid turning the debate over reported losses under the country’s gold purchase programme into a personal confrontation.
Mr Azure said the growing exchange of personal attacks between the two sides risked diverting public attention from the central issue — how the reported losses occurred, who bears responsibility and what can be done to prevent similar losses in the future.
In a post on social media, the investigative journalist criticised attacks from both sides, arguing that neither the Minority Leader nor the GoldBod CEO should be encouraged when personal remarks overshadow substantive discussions on public finances.
“I’ve seen posts by Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Vincent Ekow Assafuah and others about Sammy Gyamfi’s attack on the minority leader. Since when did they realise that personal attacks aren’t fair play?” he said.
Mr Azure questioned why some critics were condemning Mr Gyamfi’s response while appearing to overlook previous personal attacks directed at him by members of the Minority.
“Attacks on both sides are wrong, and you cannot praise the instigator while condemning the one who responds,” he stated.
He maintained that the reported financial loss remained the most important issue requiring public scrutiny, regardless of which state institution ultimately carried it on its books.
“The nation has lost money. All sides agree that there have been losses. We must follow the money. Whether the 22 billion cedis was lost by the Bank of Ghana or Goldbod, there is a loss,” he said.
Mr Azure said the Minority was justified in demanding accountability and called for a thorough examination of the circumstances that led to the reported losses.
“Asking for accountability is a good call by the minority,” he stated, while also pointing to what he described as inconsistencies in some political actors’ previous positions on other controversial government contracts.
He argued that Ghanaians deserved clear answers on how the losses occurred, who benefited from the transactions and what measures could be introduced to prevent similar occurrences.
“Ghanaians need to know how the losses came about and how they can be curtailed. While the nation loses, some people benefit, and we cannot continue this way,” he said.
Mr Azure cautioned that allowing the controversy to degenerate into personal attacks could undermine efforts to secure accountability.
“But if we reduce everything to personal attacks, the substance will be lost, and we will be here next year arguing over greater losses,” he warned.