ACCRA, Nov 25 (The African Portal) – Ghana’s Parliamentary Committee on Lands and Natural Resources said on Tuesday it will not advance approval of a new lithium mining agreement until broad public consultations are completed and the country’s Minerals and Mining Act is reviewed to address concerns over royalty payments.
Committee Chairman Collins Dauda told a news conference in Accra that the current law sets a mandatory 5% royalty for mining companies and that any higher rate would require an amendment to the legislation. He said this means a previous proposal for a 10% royalty under a 2024 agreement between Ghana and Barari DV Ghana Limited could not be implemented because it conflicted with the law.
Dauda rejected claims that the previous agreement was blocked by the Minority in Parliament, saying no report on the deal was ever submitted for consideration. He added that the proposal would have imposed a 10% royalty only on Barari, while other major mining firms including Newmont, Gold Fields and AngloGold Ashanti would have continued paying 5%, which he described as discriminatory.
The new lithium agreement tabled by Lands and Natural Resources Minister Armah-Kofi Buah does not specify a royalty rate and instead refers to the 5% rate provided under current law.
Dauda said if government prefers a higher royalty rate, the Minerals and Mining Act must be amended first. He noted that paragraph 475 of the 2025 budget signals plans to review mining policy and the law, and said the Committee prefers that any amendment be submitted to Parliament alongside the new agreement.
Public consultations on the agreement are currently open, with calls for memoranda from individuals, civil society organisations, NGOs and technical experts between Nov. 13 and Nov. 27. Dauda said the Committee also plans to invite experts to support its analysis before any approval.
“We make the laws and we expect the laws to be implemented. We cannot make laws and then take actions that go against them,” he said.
Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor backed the Committee’s stance, saying no one should pressure lawmakers to approve the deal without resolving the legal issues.
The Committee said the ongoing process is intended to safeguard the interests of communities within the lithium concession area and the country at large.
