By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, Nov. 26, GNA — The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus has raised concerns over the ratification of a lithium agreement, citing alleged irregularities and breaches of the law.
The agreement, brought by Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, has been criticized by the Caucus for lacking transparency and failing to meet the country’s legal requirements.
Addressing the Parliamentary Press Corps in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Francis Kwabena Berepong Owusu-Akyaw, an NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Juaben, said, “The agreement does not meet the requirements of LI 2176 and LI 184D and needs to be revised to be fit for purpose.”
He explained that the agreement grants a company lithium and other mineral, but also allows third parties to acquire minerals within the same area, which is contradictory.
“Additionally, the agreement was not stamped and registered within 21 days of signing, as required by law,” the MP stated.
The majority Caucus had previously claimed that the agreement was rejected due to legal issues, but Mr Owusu-Akyaw disputed the claims, stating that the law cited had been amended.
“We are telling the minister to withdraw the agreement and revise it to address the issues.
“The agreement has irregularities, including exemptions granted to the company without clear justification,” he said.
According to the MP, the Sustainability Levy has been amended from one per cent to 10 per cent, but needed to be reflected in the agreement.
The Caucus has thus called for transparency and adherence to the laws and constitution in the agreement, emphasising that the country’s natural resources should benefit its citizens.
The Committee on Lands and Natural Resources has begun reviewing a lithium agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Barari DV Ghana Limited, with a focus on ensuring the country benefits maximally from its mining sector.
“The benefits that we stand to benefit from are that if it is provided by law, whilst Lithium or the company mining lithium will be paying ten per cent or whatever percentage the minister will bring. The other mining companies will also pay the same,” said Alhaji Collins Dauda, the Chairman of the Lands and Natural Resources Committee of Parliament.
At a press conference in Parliament House, Accra, on Tuesday November 25, the Committee invited stakeholders to share their views on the agreement as part of efforts to ensure extensive engagement before submitting a report to plenary.
He said, “The committee is not in a hurry to pass without taking the views of the public on board.”
“We will not ratify until we have done extensive engagement with critical stakeholders in this country or beyond,” the Chairman added.
Alhaji Dauda, also the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asutifi South, expressed the hope that the Minister would present an amendment to the law to specify the royalty rate, which would apply to all mining companies, ensuring fairness and consistency.
“We wish to indicate that the government, parliament, and Ghana seek to enhance benefits derived from mining in the country. Everybody is concerned about the benefits that Ghana derives from mining, and we want to take every step to ensure we benefit more,” he said.
On Tuesday, November 11, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, laid before Parliament the renegotiated lithium lease agreement between the Government of Ghana and Barari DV Limited for ratification in accordance with Article 268 of the 1992 Constitution.
Speaking on the Floor of Parliament, Mr Buah explained that the renegotiation was necessary due to the sharp decline in global lithium prices, which had fallen from $3,000 per tonne to $630.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, referred the lease agreement to the Committee for further scrutiny.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah