The Executive Director of the Centre for Extractives and Development Africa (CEDA) has commended the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, for engaging stakeholders on the controversial lithium agreement, even as the Minority in Parliament calls for his dismissal.

Speaking in an interview on Joy FM’s Top Story on Wednesday, December 17, Samuel Bekoe said the Minister’s engagement with civil society was commendable and demonstrated openness to dialogue.

“I was part of the civil society group that the Lands Minister met, and I must say I commend him for the engagement with civil society,” Mr Bekoe said.

He noted that civil society organisations have, for several years, called for a clear national policy on transition minerals, including lithium, stressing that lithium should not be treated the same way as traditional minerals such as gold.

Mr Bekoe clarified that while civil society does not support using individual agreements to define Ghana’s policy direction, the concerns raised should not be used to unfairly apportion blame to the current minister.

Addressing claims that the Minister misled Parliament by presenting a revised version of the agreement, Mr Bekoe rejected the allegation, insisting that the current agreement is stronger than the previous one.

“When you compare the old agreement and the new one—which we already had even before the Minister invited us for engagement—it is clear that the Lands Minister strengthened the agreement rather than weakened it,” he stated.

The comments come amid growing political controversy over the Barari DV lithium agreement, with the Minority in Parliament accusing the Lands Minister of mismanaging the deal and misleading Parliament. The Minority has subsequently called for his dismissal.

However, civil society groups argue that ongoing stakeholder engagements provide an opportunity to refine the agreement and develop a comprehensive policy framework that safeguards Ghana’s long-term interests in the management of transition minerals.