Minerals Commission Distances Itself from Controversial SML Contract, Denies Involvement in Gold Production Monitoring Deal

The Minerals Commission has unequivocally stated that it played no part in the award of the contract to Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited (SML) for revenue assurance services in the gold production sector. In response to an Right to Information (RTI) request from investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, the Chief Executive Officer, Martin Kwaku Ayisi, clarified that the commission was not involved in the decision-making process.

Mr. Ayisi, in the response seen by myjoyonline.com, asserted that the Minerals Commission has no record of losses resulting from intentional or accidental miscalculations in the mining sector’s revenue. The controversial SML contract, which grants the company over $100 million annually for five years (renewable for another five), was suspended by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo following revelations from an investigation by The Fourth Estate.

The investigation exposed SML’s false claims regarding a prior contract with the Finance Ministry and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for revenue assurance in the downstream petroleum sector. President Akufo-Addo mandated an audit by KPMG after parliamentary resolution, seeking to address concerns raised by the investigative report.

SML had initially declared saving Ghana over GHS3 billion, a claim disputed by civil society organizations such as the Africa Centre for Energy Policy and IMANI Africa. Despite GRA’s endorsement of SML’s impact, critics argued that official data did not support the alleged significant revenue increment.

The Minerals Commission’s denial of involvement in the SML contract follows a similar response from the Petroleum Commission, the regulator of the upstream petroleum sector. Both commissions distanced themselves from the controversial contract, emphasizing their lack of information on reported losses in the sectors monitored by SML.

As questions surrounding the basis for awarding contracts to SML persist, members of parliament, civil society groups, and anti-corruption campaigners have raised concerns about the necessity of such contracts when existing systems were in place to safeguard government interests. The Ministry of Finance, responding to an RTI request, claimed it lacked reports on revenue losses in the sectors covered by SML’s monitoring activities.