Flagbearer of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ivor Kobina Greenstreet says a CPP-led administration in future will review the Songhor salt lease to ensure the country benefits from it.

With the countless uses of salt in the chemical, petrochemical and other industries, the party is looking forward to giving the country a greater share of this resource.

“God has blessed Ghana with abundant natural resources with salt being one. However, the country has very little to show for how these resources have been tapped and utilized over the years for the wider good of society”.

He was speaking to the media after a recent visit to the Ada West district to share the party’s position on salt mining and other natural resources. 

Last month, the country’s parliament reviewed a Mining Lease Agreement between the Government of Ghana and Electrochem Ghana Ltd in respect of the Ada Songhor salt for 15 years subject to renewal upon expiration.

“Recently, parliament approved some new leases covering more than 150 square miles of this area to Electrochem Ghana Ltd in a form of a monopoly. As a party, we are not against indigenous private sector involvement”

“The problem we have is, such a natural resource is of strategic national interest and the state needs to have a significant portion of this resource in order to generate revenue,” he said 

According to him, the country’s failure to collect taxes and royalties from other sectors has added to its financial woes.

Ivor Greenstreet accused successive governments in recent past of shortchanging the state by not negotiating properly with multinational companies when it comes to mining natural resources.

“CPP will obviously renegotiate these agreements for the greater good of the indigenes and the state. These tax exemptions will be taken from those multinational mining companies and be given to indigenous businesses,” he assured.

In the 1970s, some investors’ plan of producing salt from the area came under serous attack from the locals in the course of operation with government cancelling the 30-year agreement.

However, interim measures have since not worked to expectation despite the area having the potential to produce about 2.3 million tonnes of salt.

Ivor Greenstreet said life has been unbearable for residents including women who have struggled over the years to make a living out of artisanal salt mining.

“Many years ago, a pregnant woman called Magarette Kowornu died here whiles defending women who were trying to make a living out of this resource”

“You have witnessed the extent of poverty in the area. So how do we collaborate between government and private sector to generate the kind of revenue to the benefit of Ghanaians,” Greenstreet asked.

He believes the CPP will right the wrongs done by both National Democratic Congress and New Patriotic Party when Ghanaians give the two parties an electrical shock come December 7.