Minority criticise handling of lithium deal

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has mounted pressure on the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, calling for his resignation or dismissal from his position by President John Dramani Mahama, over his handling of the revised lithium agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Barari Ghana Limited from Parliament.

Addressing the media in Accra on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 the Minority expressed disappointment and concern over Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah’s conflicting stance on the lithium agreement, which led to its withdrawal from Parliament. Such an action, the group further noted, betrayed Parliament in its oversight responsibility.

“Buah had assured Parliament and Ghanaians that the revised lithium agreement laid before it satisfied all necessary requirements.

However, the recent withdrawal of the agreement from Parliament and the reasons given by the Lands Minister clearly contradicts the assurances that were given by the Minister”, Ranking Member on the Committee for Youth & Sports, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, who addressed the media on behalf of the Minority Caucus noted.

He added that “When a Minister gives Parliament firm and unequivocal assurances that all legal, technical and procedural requirements have been satisfied and the same agreement is later withdrawn on the basis that those requirements were not, in fact, fully met, accountability must necessarily follow.

“In every democracy, Ministers bear personal responsibility for that. In the circumstances, the Minority in Parliament is of the firm view that the course of action is for Buah to resign or be relieved of his position”.

Last month, when the revised lithium agreement was laid before Parliament for consideration and approval, both the Minority and Majority Caucuses attacked each other over the proposed carried interest in the agreement.

The Majority Caucus argued that the previous administration’s ten percent carried interest proposal deviated from the existing Minerals and Mining Act, 210 (Act 794), which fixes the country’s carried interest at five percent.

However, the Minority Caucus disputed the claims and cited the Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2015 (Act 900), which repealed the fixed five percent carried interest and made the royalty rate flexible.

The group noted that the amended Act allows the government to negotiate a carried interest rate, including the proposed ten percent rate, further adding that the five percent carried interest rate the government was seeking in the new lithium agreement was not in the best interest of the country.

After back and forth disagreements between the two caucuses coupled with pressure from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), the government on December 10, 2025 through the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Yusif Sulemana, withdrew the revised lithium mining agreement, noting that the action was to allow for further consultations and review with key stakeholders.

Speaking further on the issue, the Minority Caucus noted that the sequence of events orchestrated by Buah amounts to an implicit admission that Parliament was asked to proceed on the basis of information that was, at best, incomplete.

“While the Minority recognizes that consultation and stakeholder engagement are essential elements of responsible governance, such engagement must occur before an agreement is defended and laid before Parliament, not after it has been withdrawn under public pressure”, the group noted in part of its statement that was read by Assafuah.

The Minority emphasizes that lithium is a strategic mineral requiring careful management and that Buah’s handling of the agreement has exposed Parliament to embarrassment.

The group demands Buah’s resignation or dismissal, citing his implicit admission of misleading Parliament and undermining Ghana’s interests.

 

 

For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z

The post Minority criticise handling of lithium deal appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

Read Full Story