A Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr John Kumah, has said the essence of the reintroduction of the controversial Agyapa royalties deal was to make money out of the country’s mineral wealth.

According to him, if the royalties from the mineral resources of Ghana are monetised, more money could be raised for development.

“We have mined gold and other minerals for years and it has not made any impact on the country’s economy”, he said.

Dr Kumah was of the view that people have exported gold from Ghana without following the laid-down rules, adding that the deal will streamline the sector.

In his view, the Agyapa deal will be an extra revenue stream for Ghana in addition to the e-levy.

Through the deal, Dr Kumah said Ghana could meet her development and infrastructure needs.

He called on Ghanaians to embrace the revised Agyapa deal for the development of the nation.

Dr Kumah, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Ejisu Constituency in the Ashanti Region, made this admission on Accra-based Okay FM on Friday, May 13, 2022.