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 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.
