When will the youth be prioritized over diversion of state resources – Kwaku Azar asks

Public intellectual and fellow of think tank, Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare (Kwaku Azar) has lashed out at Government for wasting millions of Cedis on private legal firms to serve as its consultants and transaction advisors when the Attorney General’s Department, a Government agency, tasked to do these exist. For him, such waste of scarce resources is not in the interest of the county, the youth and the next generation.

Kwaku Azar, who has expertise in law, and is a KPMG Professor of Accounting, wondered why the monies paid to these legal firms owned by cronies of Government cannot be channeled into enhancing the capacity of the Attorney General’s Department or training more lawyers at the Universities.

“I do not know why we have an Attorney General’s department and yet pay millions to private law firms to serve as consultants and transaction advisors in very mundane business transactions.

Can’t these millions be invested in building the capacity of the lawyers at the AG’s department?

Can’t these millions be invested in the universities to train more lawyers, some of whom can then be hired by the government?

When will the interest of the country, the youth and the next generation be prioritized over diverting scarce national resources to cronies?” He quizzed on social media.

His remarks come in the wake of news that the Government of Ghana has recruited the services of some private law firms to serve as transaction advisors in the deal between Government and the Agyapa Royalties Company Limited.

Meanwhile the agreement between Agyapa Royalties Company Limited and the Government which securities Ghana’s royalties from its natural resources so that the country can secure and use money from the company has been met with criticism from sections of the public.

The Minority in Parliament last Friday walked out of Parliament when the deal was brought to parliament for ratification, saying that the agreement is not in the interest of the country.