Former Minister for Lands and Pure Assets and Member of Parliament for Damongo constituency, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has raised crimson flags over the federal government’s choice to reintroduce the Ewoyaa lithium mining lease settlement, a deal that was vehemently rejected by the Nationwide Democratic Congress (NDC) when he first tried to put it earlier than Parliament, because the then Minister for Lands and Pure Assets in 2024.
Talking on the ground of Parliament, the Damongo MP reminded the Home that, as Minister, he was the one who initially offered the Ewoyaa lithium lease between the Authorities of Ghana and Barari DV Ghana Restricted, a subsidiary of Atlantic Lithium Restricted, for parliamentary consideration in 2024.
“The unsuccessful effort we made within the eighth Parliament to put the same settlement for the exploitation of our lithium sources between the identical two events — the Authorities of Ghana and Barari DV,” he reminded the home.
He additional famous that the explanatory assertion made by the present Minister for Lands and Pure Assets, Armah Kofi Buah, mirrors the same assertion he made when he first launched the settlement in 2024.
“The explanatory assertion made by the present Minister for Lands and Pure Assets, the phrases of it, the phrases of the explanatory assertion, will not be essentially completely different from the phrases of the explanatory assertion I made on this Home as Minister for Lands and Pure Assets,” Jinapor emphasised.
Below the unique deal laid by Abu Jinapor, the federal government secured a number of key advantages, together with a ten% royalty fee, double the usual fee for different minerals. A 13% free carried curiosity for the state and extra fairness by way of the Minerals Revenue Funding Fund (MIIF). The federal government was additionally to get a 1% neighborhood improvement fund and a dedication towards native lithium processing and worth addition.
On the time, the then-opposition NDC Minority strongly opposed the deal, arguing that it didn’t serve Ghana’s greatest pursuits and wanted to be renegotiated. Now in authorities, nonetheless, the NDC has resubmitted the identical settlement, with minimal revisions, and is reportedly utilizing the identical explanatory assertion that Jinapor offered in 2024 — the one they beforehand criticised.
Abu Jinapor urged the Speaker to reject the laying of the lithium mining settlement, describing the transfer as inconsistent and politically contradictory.
“Respectfully, I pray this laying be overruled and rejected. Mr Speaker, I’ve the varied elements that the Minister has submitted to this home as being the basic phrases of the settlement between the identical two events. Mr Speaker, the phrases are essentially not completely different.”
He reiterated, “Mr Speaker, subsequently, what utilized to that settlement within the eighth Parliament, which luckily was the identical Speaker within the chair and which culminated within the rejection of the try to put that settlement, Mr Speaker, the identical ought to apply.”
He reaffirmed his opposition to the laying with a query of, “What has modified within the settlement between the federal government of Ghana and Barari DV and the phrases of the settlement in 2025?”
The indications are that the present settlement has a decrease royalty fee than the one negotiated for in 2024, a scenario which makes trade gamers apprehensive.
The Ewoyaa venture, situated within the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Area, represents Ghana’s first main lithium mining operation and is seen as a gateway to the nation’s participation within the international inexperienced minerals worth chain.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Feedback, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform don’t essentially signify the views or coverage of Multimedia Group Restricted.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Feedback, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform don’t essentially signify the views or coverage of Multimedia Group Restricted.
Source link
