Mr Francis Kwabena Berepong Owusu-Akyaw, Member of Parliament for Juaben and a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Natural Resources, has stated that the government’s decision to withdraw the renegotiated lithium mining agreement, while appropriate, raises serious questions about its commitment to broad consultation.
The lawmaker asserted that the government initially failed to engage key stakeholders widely before renegotiating the deal.
This failure subsequently led to significant concerns being raised by the minority in Parliament, civil society organisations (CSOs), and various independent professionals.
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he contended that, had it not been for the consistent pressure from the minority and CSOs, the government would have likely leveraged its parliamentary majority to push the controversial deal through.
The government officially withdrew the revised lithium mining agreement from Parliament on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, citing the need for further consultation with stakeholders.
Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Yusif Sulemana, explained the decision: “The reason for the withdrawal of this agreement is to enable the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to undertake further consultations with very relevant stakeholders prior to presenting it to this very important house.”
The agreement, originally presented by the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, concerns the mining of lithium and other minerals in Mankessim, Central Region.
The deal had been revised following a request by the contracted company, Barari DV Ghana Limited. The company sought adjusted lease terms, claiming that a sharp decline in global lithium prices had negatively affected the project’s viability.
The minister had previously stated that global lithium prices had fallen from approximately $3,000 per tonne to around $630 per tonne, making many worldwide lithium projects unprofitable.
Consequently, the deal was renegotiated, reducing the royalty terms from the original 10 per cent to 5 per cent, with the stipulation that it would return to 10 per cent when global prices recovered.
The Minority Caucus vehemently opposed the renegotiated deal, describing it as a detrimental arrangement that would ‘fleece’ the nation, and formally called for its withdrawal.
The withdrawal order is understood to have been issued by President John Dramani Mahama following meetings with CSOs, including IMANI-Africa, regarding the terms of the agreement.
However, Hon. Francis Kwabena Berepong Owusu-Akyaw maintains that this entire process could have been avoided had the government taken stakeholder input into consideration from the outset.
“The withdrawal of the deal was the most appropriate action. The renegotiated deal was terrible, and as the minority, we raised concerns, opposed the deal, and stood firm. This is not a partisan political matter; it is a critical national issue that we advocated for,” he stated.
He continued, “We are not opposed to national development, but any deal that undermines the country and its priceless resources will be opposed. It was shocking that they renegotiated it downwards, especially since they opposed our own 10 per cent royalty rate when we were in office. We expected them to either renegotiate a deal upwards or maintain the original ten percent.”
Hon. Owusu-Akyaw stressed the need for a comprehensive consultative process, stating, “We expect that the consultations will be broader and result in a better deal that is truly in the interest of Ghanaians. Our natural resources belong to the people, and the President is responsible for managing them on our behalf. He must be responsible and ensure that we receive the best possible deals and offers to benefit immensely from them.”
He further highlighted a critical technical deficiency in the agreement, noting that its current structure appears to grant authorisation to those mining bauxite the right to mine other minerals without specific corresponding licensing.
The MP insisted that this aspect must be revised, requiring the companies to apply for specific licences for any other minerals they may discover at the lithium sites.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
