Parliament’s Committee on Lands and Natural Resources says it will not push the new lithium agreement through until broad public engagement has been completed and the Minerals and Mining Act is reviewed to address concerns about royalties.
The Committee announced the decision at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday [November 25 2025].
The Chairman of the Committee, Mr Collins Dauda, stated that the five per cent royalty set out in law remains the only enforceable rate and that any higher figure would require an amendment to the Minerals and Mining Act.
Mr Dauda said the earlier proposal for a 10 per cent royalty in the 2024 agreement between Ghana and Barari DV Ghana Limited could not be advanced because it was not consistent with the law.
He said the Committee advised the former minister to take steps to amend the Minerals and Mining Act so the rate in the agreement would match the provisions in Act 703 as amended by Act 794.
He said no report on the 2024 agreement was submitted to Parliament for consideration.
He described claims that the Minority had rejected the previous deal as misleading and inaccurate.
Mr Dauda explained that only Barari DV Ghana Limited would have paid the 10 per cent royalty under the old arrangement, while other major mining companies such as Newmont, Gold Fields and AngloGold would have continued to pay 5 per cent.
He described this as unfair and discriminatory and said the Committee wanted a level field across the sector.
On the new agreement put before Parliament by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Armah-Kofi Buah, he said the document does not state a royalty rate and refers to what the law provides, which is five per cent.
He noted that revenue from a 5 per cent royalty and a 10 per cent royalty will not be the same, and said the law must be amended if any higher rate is preferred.
The Committee has opened a public consultation process on the agreement.
The document was advertised from November 13 to November 27, inviting memoranda from interested persons, civil society groups, non-governmental organisations and technical experts.
Mr Dauda said the Committee also plans to invite individuals who can assist in analysing the agreement before a decision is made.
He said the Committee will not approve the agreement until full engagement with relevant stakeholders has been completed.
Mr Dauda pointed out that the 2025 Budget, at paragraph 475, states government’s plan to review the minerals and mining policy and Act 703.
He said the Committee prefers that the amendment to the Act be brought to Parliament together with the agreement so both can be considered at the same time.
“We make the laws and we expect the laws to be implemented,” he said. “We cannot make laws and then take actions that go against them.”
The Majority Chief Whip, Mr Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, supported the Committee’s position.
He said the law must be amended to match the terms of the agreement and said no one should pressure the government into rushing a decision without addressing the legal issues.
The Committee said the process underway is aimed at protecting the interests of people living within the lithium concession area and the country as a whole.
