The Minority in Parliament has obstructed the laying of the lithium mining agreement between the government of Ghana and the Barrari DV of Australia.

This comes after the government granted Barari DV Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Atlantic Lithium Limited, a fifteen (15) year mining lease to commence the construction and mining of lithium at Ewoyaa in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region. 

The lease incorporates new and enhanced terms intended to ensure that the country benefits optimally from this mineral. This includes an increase in royalty rate, state and Ghanaian participation, as well as value addition to the mineral mined.

• Read also: Ghana to have its first Lithium project with increased royalties, state participation and value addition

Deputy Minority Whip Ahmed Ibrahim accused the majority of seeking to lay the agreement clandestinely.

This comes on a day when Parliament faced challenges in meeting the required number of MPs after the minority accused their NPP colleagues of abandoning the House and following Dr. Bawumia to campaign.

The Minority in Parliament threatened to frustrate the business of Parliament if attendance on the Majority side does not improve starting next week.

Since Parliament resumed in July, there have rarely been 30 NPP MPs present, leaving the Minority to carry the burden of doing government business.

• Read also: ‘Stop following Bawumia and come to parliament’ – Minority warns Majority members

Speaking on the floor of parliament, the Deputy Minority Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, said, “As leadership, it was agreed that we try to veer away from controversial areas today. Mr Speaker that was agreed upon. As we sit here, there is an order from the majority chief whip that they should bring other people for Awoyaa bauxite and lithium to be laid illegally when we don’t have the numbers to constitute business. That would not be tolerated.”

“We need men to work before we can proceed. Mr Speaker, this was agreed upon. You don’t have the numbers. We will not agree.”

Civil society organizations, including IMANI Africa, have voiced concerns, calling the deal a rip-off.

Honorary Vice President of IMANI-Africa, Bright Simons, says the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor’s claim that the royalty rate agreed in the lithium deal is the highest in the country’s history is false.

He explained that Ghana has enjoyed significantly higher rates in the past and thus one could argue that the current lithium royalty rate is shortchanging Ghana.

The royalty rate in the lithium deal has been increased to 10% from the standard five percent, and the state’s free carried interest in the mining operation has been increased from 10% to 13%.

Bright Simons noted that the terms of the contract are not generous enough.

“Yes, the 10% seems high because in recent times we’ve been signing agreements that some argue have shortchanged us and the 13% free-carry interest is interesting. But the truth of the matter is that if you take the whole historic span of our mining industry in this country, those terms are not that generous because we can say that in the 70s Ghana automatically had a 55% participation rate.