‘Afenyo-Markin appears to be on his own’ – Akwatia MP on GoldBod controversy

The Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Bernard Bediako Baidoo, has questioned the absence of other Minority MPs from the ongoing controversy involving Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod).

He said the Minority Leader appeared to be carrying the GoldBod debate alone, despite the issue being presented as a matter concerning the Minority in Parliament.

Afenyo-Markin has been at the centre of the controversy over claims of a US$1.7 billion loss linked to the Bank of Ghana’s Domestic Gold Purchase Programme, which was operationalised through GoldBod.

GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi has rejected the claims and accused the Minority Leader of deliberately misrepresenting an International Monetary Fund report.

Speaking on Accra-based TV3’s KeyPoint programme on Saturday, August 22, Mr Baidoo questioned why other Minority MPs had not joined Afenyo-Markin in publicly advancing the allegations.

“It appears that the respected Minority Leader is on his own. Where are his colleagues?” he asked.

The Akwatia MP said he had appeared on several media platforms where he expected to engage his Minority colleagues on the issue, but they did not turn up.

He cited appearances on Joy FM, Adom FM and UTV, saying Minority MPs were expected to participate in discussions but were absent.

According to him, Afenyo-Markin had instead been moving from one media platform to another to defend the Minority’s position on the controversy.

He questioned whether the issue had become a personal agenda for the Minority Leader after other members appeared unwilling to publicly associate themselves with the claims.

“Minority Leader is the one hopping from one radio station, TV station to the other. After you are done with your press conference, the rest is for your lieutenants to carry on. Unfortunately, we are not seeing it,” he said.

Mr Baidoo also defended GoldBod against claims that it was responsible for the reported losses, arguing that the financing of the domestic gold purchases was handled by the Bank of Ghana.

He said GoldBod’s role was largely operational, including purchasing gold from artisans at prices determined within the existing framework.

“If the argument is about the losses generally from 2022, we can have it. But are you looking at the economic gains we have currently?” he asked.