Minority Claims Uranium Deal With China 'Shrouded In Secrecy'

Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is demanding clarity concerning revelations by President Nana Akufo-Addo that Ghana has off-loaded highly enriched Uranium to China.

President Akufo-Addo said during his address at the 72nd United Nations General Assembly last Thursday that Ghana is committed to a nuclear weapons-free world, and as a result, it has offloaded its highly enriched Uranium to China.

“Our nuclear reactor has subsequently been converted to use low-enriched fuel for power generation. A world free of nuclear weapons must be in all our collective interest,” the President revealed.

However, a release signed by Member of Parliament for North Tongu and a Ranking Member of Parliament's Foreign Affairs committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the deal “has been shrouded in utmost secrecy.”

“Considering the recent Supreme Court decision in the Gitmo case when interpreting Article 75 of the Constitution of Ghana, it is clear that this arrangement which has been shrouded in utmost secrecy ought to have received Parliamentary ratification at the very least before handing over our highly-enriched uranium to the Chinese if that is the path we consider to be in our strategic national interest.

“The Minority in Parliament has decided to compel the Government of Ghana when Parliament resumes from recess to submit to Parliament the full details and true nature of the agreement with the Chinese and the Americans who appear to have funded the operation,” the release said.

The statement is published in full below
President Akufo-Addo revealed during his address to the United Nations 72nd General Assembly on Thursday the 21st of September, 2017 that: "Three weeks ago, highly-enriched uranium was flown out of Ghana back to China, signaling the end of the removal of all such material from the country. Our nuclear reactor has, subsequently, been converted to use low-enriched fuel for power generation. A world, free of nuclear weapons, must be in all our collective interest.”

Considering the recent Supreme Court decision in the Gitmo case when interpreting Article 75 of the Constitution of Ghana, it is clear that this arrangement which has been shrouded in utmost secrecy ought to have received Parliamentary ratification at the very least before handing over our highly-enriched uranium to the Chinese if that is the path we consider to be in our strategic national interest.

The Minority in Parliament has decided to compel the Government of Ghana when Parliament resumes from recess to submit to Parliament the full details and true nature of the agreement with the Chinese and the Americans who appear to have funded the operation.

While reminding government of its obligations to several other agreements yet to be ratified by Parliament, the Minority shall be pursuing this very important development in the spirit of transparency and good governance consistent with the view taken by the apex court of the land.

Signed,
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP)
Ranking Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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