MAJORITY CAUCUS PUSHES FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AS PARLIAMENT REVIEWS GHANA'S LITHIUM DEAL.

Chairman of the Lands and Natural Resources Committee in Parliament, Hon. Collins Dauda, has signaled that the committee will conduct a public hearing as part of its consideration of a mining lease agreement between Government of Ghana and Barari DV Limited on lithium at Ewoyaa in the Mfansteman district. 

Speaking at a press conference in parliament on November 25, 2025, the Asutifi North legislator revealed to journalists that the committee arrived at the decision to open up its deliberations following demands by a section of the public on the royalty rate to be paid by the company. 
He said, the immediate-past Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor who initially presented the agreement on 16 July 2024 negotiated a ten percent mineral royalty against the stated provisions in the minerals and mining Act of 2006 and its subsequent amendment of section 25 of Act 703. 

He further revealed that during the consideration stage of the agreement, two important issues came up; one was legal and the other was an unfair treatment in the market. 
In the agreement, we noticed that royalty rate was 10 percent even though committee members wanted government to rake in more revenue.
As we knew the 10 percent was going to rake in more revenue as compared to 5 percent. But the callenge was that Parliament enacted the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006, and subsequently amended the Act in section 25.

Chairman of the committee again stated the lithium agreement was again presented in Parliament on Tuesday, 11 November 2025 by the current Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, under revised terms which reduced the royalty from 10 percent as previously negotiated by Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor to 5 percent. 
Mr. Buah who is also the MP for Ellembele explained on the debating floor that, global price of lithium has fallen from $3,000 in 2024 to around $630 a tonne which meant Barari DV would not be able to meet its revenue target therefore creating operational difficulties for the company as global lithium demand falls. 

The Committee at its September 2024 stakeholder engagement when the agreement was first referred to it heard varying opinions from civil society to the chiefs and people of Ewoyaa where the lithium project has been sited, but the agreement never went back to the House as the term of the Eighth Parliament ended. 

Hon. Collins Dauda dismissed an assertion that then minority rejected the said agreement noting that a call to public memoranda on the present referral was announced from 13-27 November after which stakeholders will be invited to assist the Committee with its deliberations. 
He said, "we will not ratify until we have had extensive engagement with the relevant stakeholders" and reminded the Lands and Natural Resources Minister to submit an amendment to the current royalty regime for the committee’s deliberation together with the lithium agreement.