Minister Amewu Claims His Directives Forced AngloGold To Give Local Companies Contracts

The Lands and Natural Resources Minister has disclosed to Joy News he has managed to get AngloGold Ashanti to award contracts previously meant for foreign companies to Ghanaians.

John Peter Amewu said when he heard the contracts were going to be given to foreigners he had to rush the mining company and stop them immediately.

“That was not by law but we had to stop them because that was the right thing to be done,” he told Joy News Raymond Acquah on Upfront Wednesday.

Two months ago, the Lands Minister lashed out at AngloGold Ashanti for shortchanging local companies over contracts to supply the mining firm with equipment and other consumables as plans are underway to redevelop it.

Related: Amewu 'exposes' AngloGold Ashanti
AngloGold Ashanti had put together a forum in Accra to coach local companies on how to be successful in bidding for contract ahead of the exercise. But the forum it appears was a charade, John Mr Amewu alleged.

“I have a feeling that this gathering is a mere propaganda gathering. It is just to send signals to Ghanaians that AngloGold will be doing things differently,” he said, adding but that is not the case.

The minister said he was reliably informed, AngloGold has already shortlisted at least two foreign companies to undertake the supplying job and was only organizing the forum for purposes of propaganda.

Fast forward to May and Mr Amewu says he has succeeded in getting the mining firm to reverse its decision and now award these contracts to Ghanaian companies.

“What we are doing now is to ensure that they look for a local partner and my understanding is that they now have the local partner. They had to change based on my directives,” he disclosed.