Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, has revealed that recent events in the past few years have led him to revisit his earlier skepticism regarding the legitimacy of the ‘Agyapadie’ document.
Speaking at a durbar held to welcome former President Mahama and his campaign team, Togbe Afede shared experiences where both he and his businesses came under targeted actions, prompting him to reevaluate the authenticity of the document.
“I found it difficult to believe that, that was a genuine document but of course, certain things we go through gave us thoughts to the contrary. I recall that in 2019 thereabouts, we received a letter for us to sign, pre-written in our names, to resign from the group of companies that advises the government on its bond issues. That came as a shock.”
“When I reflect on some of these things,” the overlord said, “I begin to wonder,” he stated.
The controversial 38-page document titled ‘Agyapadie,’ which prominently features the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, alongside President Nana Akufo-Addo and his late father, has resurfaced, reigniting discussions about its contents.
The document, whose author remains unidentified, is believed to outline strategies for a particular family or clan to establish significant influence and control over key sectors of Ghanaian society, including the economy, politics, media, judiciary, telecommunications, and banking.
Here are three actions that were projected to happen in the document that have materialised.
SSNIT and Kofi Bosompem Osafo Maafo
The Agyapadie document predicted that the son of the Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, would find his way into the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to aid entry into Ecobank.
“ii. Ecobank: We have two routes of entry into this institution. First is through SSNIT, which has a seat on the Board of Ecobank Ghana by virtue of its shareholding. That seat is occupied by the Director General of SSNIT. In Phase 2 of our agenda, Kofi Bosompem Osafo Maafo, who is a Deputy Director General of SSNIT, should be made the DG to give him the seat on the Ecobank (Ghana) Board,” the document stated.
In April 2024, President Akufo-Addo appointed Kofi Osafo-Maafo, the son of Osafo-Maafo, as the new Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), following seven years of serving as Deputy Director-General.
He replaced Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang. In a statement released on Saturday, April 13, Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, explained that Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang’s dismissal was not a result of misconduct or malfeasance.
The Presidency asserted that Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang’s departure is part of the ongoing restructuring initiated by President Akufo-Addo.
Kofi Osafo-Maafo assumed responsibilities on Monday, April 15, 2024.
Bawumia to succeed Akufo-Addo
While stressing the need to intensify Databank’s presence as a government adviser on financial transactions, the ‘Agyapadie’ document made mention of the succession of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The document noted that the role of Databank would be to generate the needed funds to aid the succession plan.
“Biological Children: Databank is a household name in the financial industry. It is our beloved child in the industry. Its presence as government adviser on financial transactions is to be intensified, including knobbing interested foreign companies to partner with Databank on such issues. In furtherance of this end, all major government financial transactions are to be executed in the first two years of Nana’s 2nd term. This will bring in the needed funds to fight the battle to install Bawumia as part of the succession plan to the advantage of Bawumia,” the document stated.
On Saturday, November 4, 2023, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was declared winner by the Electoral Commission at the Accra Sports Stadium, as the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party after his contenders, Honourable Kennedy Ohene Agyapong (Assin Central Member of Parliament) polled 71,996 votes, representing 37.41%, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto (former Minister for Agriculture) polled 1,459 votes, representing 0.76% and Honourable Francis Addai-Nimoh (former Member of Parliament of Mampong) polled 781 votes, representing 0.41%.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia won the 2023 Presidential Primaries with 118,210 votes, representing 61.47% of the total valid votes cast.
Following Dr Bawumia’s victory, Alan Kyerematen, one of the contenders resigned from the party.
Mr Kyerematen lamented that the New Patriotic Party has gone through an unhealthy transition in recent years and has been hijacked by some selected party leaders of which he can no longer be a part.
“I have devoted the best part of my professional career to serving the Party, and I still believe in the vision of the founding fathers of the Party. However, the NPP as it exists now has very little resemblance to the Party that I joined in 1992 and helped to nurture. The Party has been hijacked by a selected group of Party leaders and elders, government appointees, “behind the curtain power brokers” and some unscrupulous Party apparatchiks.”
Introduction of Kelni GVG
The ‘Agyapadie’ document alleged that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) doesn’t have much foothold in the telecommunication sector, and as such will have the “successful planting of Kelni GVG into the telecom sector” to give “unparalleled advantage in terms of having a view of activity flow within the sector and the ability to monitor communication of persons of our choosing.”
The document further adds, “The intelligence gathering power allows us to target and eliminate any potential threat from within the NPP; particularly those not inherently loyal to our cause and Nana’s, which include members of the opposition NDC.”
“Our sister in charge of the ministry responsible for this sector is doing remarkably well especially her confrontations with MTN Ghana resulting in administrative measures aimed at curtailing the business of MTN. From 2021, legislation will need to be introduced to breakup the business of MTN using national security and anti-trust reasons as justification. Our loyal allies will then be enabled to occupy the spaces to be ceded by MTN. such entry will yield significant strategic advantages over our competitors.”
In May this year, investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni expressed concerns over the contract awarded to NextGen InfraCo Ltd. for the 5G network rollout.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, May 30, Awuni highlighted that the company was incorporated barely a week before President Akufo-Addo granted executive approval for the deal.
Awuni pointed out that the contract, estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, was awarded through sole sourcing, without giving other companies the opportunity to bid for the project. This lack of competitive bidding raises suspicions about the transparency and fairness of the procurement process, according to Awuni.
Before these claims, the government had announced a partnership with seven industry leaders to develop a new shared infrastructure aimed at delivering affordable 5G mobile broadband services across Ghana. The partners, including Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, Tech Mahindra, and two telecommunications companies – AT Ghana and Telecel Ghana, have formed the Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), which has been awarded a 5G license.
Communications and Digitalisation Minister Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has confirmed that NextGen InfraCo, the company awarded the contract for the rollout of the 5G network, was established just one week before receiving the contract.
Madam Owusu-Ekuful clarified that the company was specifically created for this purpose because there was no existing neutral infrastructure company capable of handling the rollout at that time.
During a press briefing on the 5G rollout, she elaborated on the government’s reasoning behind this decision. She noted that auctioning the contract was not pursued due to previous experiences and setbacks that had hindered the rollout of the country’s 4G technology, which has achieved only a 15% nationwide penetration since its introduction in 2015.
The Minister highlighted that the challenges faced during the 4G rollout influenced the government’s approach to the 5G deployment. By directly awarding the contract to a newly created entity, the government aims to avoid similar obstacles and expedite the implementation process for the 5G network.
The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West provided insight into the government’s strategic decision-making process, emphasizing the need for a dedicated infrastructure company to ensure the successful and timely rollout of 5G technology across the country.
“This is a special purpose vehicle and once the government took the decision that we will use a neutral infrastructure company to deliver this service, there is no existing neutral infrastructure company that can deliver it at the moment.”
“So, it had to be specifically formed for the purpose of delivering this service based on the strategic policies and decisions of the government, and it is borne out of our experiences and that is why we chose not to auction it,” she stated.
The ‘Agyapadie’ document has gotten many Ghanaians concerned, especially after some of its predictions have materialised.
A leading member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Arthur Kennedy, has expressed difficulty in accepting that the ‘Agyapadie’ document is fictitious and holds no relationship with Ghana’s present situation.
He noted that when he came into contact with the document some years ago, he dismissed it but can no longer do so since recent happenings cannot be left to coincidence.
“I would have agreed with the president a year ago……but the problem is as time has gone on there are things in the document that have gone on so if it was indeed a fake document, whoever has prepared the document has very good prophetic skills because a lot of the things they are predicting are coming true. So it is very difficult to see these things that are coming true,” he said in an interview on TV3.
On August 1, 2024, President Akufo-Addo addressed growing speculation about the document, which is purported to be a strategic plan of the Akyem faction within the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The president and the government New Patriotic Party (NPP) have dismissed the document as a fabrication, attributing its circulation to political adversaries aiming to discredit the party and its affiliates.
The Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has also denounced the document as a baseless creation by those intent on sowing discord and inciting animosity towards the Ofori Panin family and the Okyeman community.
Below is the ‘Agyapadie document’.
