Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, John Jinapor, has cautioned Barari DV Ghana Limited not to commence work on the lithium project until the government secures parliamentary approval.

According to him, without parliamentary approval of the lithium deal any action taken by the company with regards to extracting lithium from Ghana’s soil will be detrimental to both the company and the government.

He has urged the government to do the needful and submit the transaction to parliament for ratification. Speaking at a press meeting in parliament earlier today, he said, “As you’re aware, Article 268 of the 1992 constitution is explicit and it states that any transaction including but not limited to the application to exploit a natural resource requires prior parliamentary approval.

“On this note I want to make it loud and clear, and succinct and explicit that the agreement between the government of Ghana and Barari DV should be laid before parliament without delay.”

He assured Ghanaians of the Minority’s resolve to thoroughly peruse the policy document to ensure that the Ghanaian people are not shortchanged in the transaction of the mineral.

“And let me assure the people of Ghana that the Minority will not let you down, we will scrutinize the agreement, we will not allow this agreement to be rushed through, we will seek the guidance, the involvement of civil society, we’ll speak to important personalities including former Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo who has been vocal on this lithium agreement,” he said.

He added, “The new order is lithium. Lithium is more profitable than gold, lithium is more profitable than diamond and the world order is moving to this green mineral.  And so the Minority will insist that Ghana benefits from this resource.”

Meanwhile, the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has announced that the document will be laid before parliament for approval.

Speaking at a press conference, he stated that the government took great care and caution to ensure that the policy document reflected the interest of Ghanaians.

According to him, the deal is the best Ghana has entered into in the minerals sector and will significantly revolutionise Ghana’s industrial sector in the years to come.