Lithium Chaos: Majority Declares Akufo-Addo’s 10% Deal ‘Unlawful’ — Minority Fumes!
According to the statements made by the majority party in parliament, the 10 percent royalty agreement that was signed by the government of Akufo-Addo with Barari DV Ghana Limited for the purpose of lithium mining was not in accordance with the legislative framework that is now in place in Ghana. The Minerals and Mining (Amendment) Act, 2010 establishes a fixed royalty rate of five percent for mining corporations, which renders the ten percent clause included in the previous agreement illegal, according to the caucus. The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources’ recent presentation of a new lithium mining deal, which now contains the 5 percent royalty rate that is needed by law, has made this stance possible. The Minority has strongly opposed the change, claiming that the newly introduced terms are not as advantageous to the state as the previous ones. Collins Dauda, who is the chairman of the Lands and Natural Resources Committee, made the following statement to journalists: “Parliament is taking steps to revise pertinent laws in order to bring the national mining laws into accordance with the most recent agreement and to guarantee complete compliance with the law.” “The legislation are now being evaluated by the government. And, most significantly, to examine the country’s policies as it pertains to mining. We are the ones who are responsible for making the laws, and we anticipate that these laws will be put into effect. “We have an expectation that people will follow the laws. “We cannot create laws while also engaging in behavior that is in violation of the law, expecting those laws to be implemented and adhered to,” he said. Dauda made it clear that it is the obligation of the Parliament to make sure that mining agreements are based on the law and that any revisions to the policy would provide clarity, uniformity, and enough supervision.
