Minority in parliament demands lands minister’s resignation over controversial lithium deal
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus in Ghana’s Parliament has intensified calls for the resignation of the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, citing inconsistencies and perceived mismanagement in the handling of the nation’s lithium mining agreement with Barari DV Ghana Limited. The issue has ignited political debate, raising questions about governance, transparency and how Ghana’s strategic mineral resources are negotiated and managed.
The Minority’s demand follows the government’s decision to withdraw the revised lithium mining agreement from Parliament to allow for additional consultations after widespread criticism from lawmakers, civil society groups and industry stakeholders. The agreement, which had proposed a reduced royalty rate of five percent from an earlier 10 percent arrangement, was initially laid before Parliament earlier this month but faced immediate backlash from various quarters.
Parliamentary Fallout and Calls for Accountability
Speaking on behalf of the Minority, Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, argued that the Minister’s conduct had undermined public confidence and weakened Parliament’s oversight role. Assafuah stressed that presenting an agreement to Parliament with assurances that it met all requirements only for it to be withdrawn due to insufficient consultations reflects poorly on ministerial responsibility and governance standards.
“The inconsistency between what was presented and what was later retracted goes to the heart of credibility in managing Ghana’s natural resources,” Assafuah stated, emphasising that lithium is a strategic mineral with implications for Ghana’s industrialisation, energy transition and youth employment initiatives. He argued that ministers must be held personally accountable when their actions cause embarrassment to Parliament or erode trust in government processes.
The Minority contends that a minister presiding over such contradictions should step aside voluntarily, or be compelled to resign, to uphold the integrity of Ghana’s democratic institutions and governance practices. Their position reflects broader concerns about the management of transition minerals, which include lithium a critical resource for battery production and the emerging clean energy economy.
Government Position and Defence
In response, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has dismissed the resignation calls as baseless and politically motivated, describing them as lacking substantive grounding. The Ministry’s Media Relations Officer, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, argued that the process surrounding the lithium deal remains ongoing and that active stakeholder engagement is underway to refine the agreement in the national interest.
Schandorf emphasised that broader consultations with civil society organisations, local community leaders, and industry stakeholders are integral to ensuring a robust and mutually beneficial agreement. He urged critics to recognise that the withdrawal of the agreement for extended consultation reflects a commitment to transparency and inclusivity rather than incompetence or mismanagement.
Highlighting recent engagements with chiefs and residents of Ewoyaa and adjoining communities, the Ministry noted that the dialogue aimed to address local concerns and build consensus on the way forward. Officials present at these consultations reiterated the government’s intention to achieve a lithium agreement that provides long-term benefits for both Ghana and the communities directly affected by mining activities.
Business and Civil Society Perspectives
Amid the political sparring, some civil society voices have offered a more nuanced view. The Executive Director of the Centre for Extractives and Development Africa (CEDA) praised the Minister’s willingness to engage stakeholders on the controversial deal. Samuel Bekoe noted that civil society has long advocated for clear national policy frameworks on transition minerals, arguing that such resources should not be dealt with in isolation or through ad-hoc agreements.
Bekoe underscored that deep stakeholder engagement is essential to crafting agreements that protect national interests while fostering investment, community development and industrial opportunity. He further suggested that criticism of the Minister should not eclipse the constructive potential of ongoing dialogue to improve the deal.
Broader Implications and Next Steps
The controversy over the lithium deal comes at a moment when Ghana seeks to balance economic opportunity with responsible resource management. Lithium’s global importance particularly amid the global energy transition towards renewable technologies elevates the stakes of how such agreements are negotiated and implemented.
As Parliament prepares to re-examine the withdrawn agreement, attention will centre on whether new terms will reflect broader consensus, stronger fiscal benefits for the country, and more transparent procurement and consultation processes. The unfolding debate highlights the growing prominence of transition minerals in Ghana’s economic and political discourse, as well as the increasing demand for accountability in how national resources are governed.
Whether the Minority’s calls for the Lands Minister’s resignation gain traction remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that the lithium deal controversy has sparked a broader conversation on governance, stakeholder engagement, and the future of strategic resources in Ghana’s development agenda.
