The Majority Caucus in Parliament is urging Ghanaians to remain calm, confident that President John Dramani Mahama is working towards securing a better lithium deal with Barari DV Ghana Limited that would be beneficial to the country.
The group notes that while public interest in the lithium agreement is high, President Mahama is taking time to ensure a fair deal.
To achieve this, some amendments will be made to the Minerals and Mining Act, 2010, (Act 794), to align with the proposed royalty rate that will be presented to Parliament for consideration by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
Referencing Act 794, the group noted that the law prescribes a flat royalty rate of 5% of total revenue made by mining companies. However, the previous government had proposed a 10% royalty rate in the earlier lithium agreement with Barari DV Ghana Limited while other mining companies paid 5%.
Addressing members of the Parliamentary Press Corps in Accra on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, the Chairman of the Lands and Natural Resources Committee, Alhaji Collins Dauda, stated that President Mahama prioritizes fair business practices, seeking equity in the existing legal framework.
“Revenues generated from the 5% royalty rate and 10% royalty rate can never be the same. The preference is to have 10% or more. But the same condition that was placed in the previous regime arises. The law has to be amended to up the rate from 5% to whatever percentage the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources so wishes”, he noted.
Alhaji Dauda, explained that once the government fixes the royalty rate, parliament will amend Act 794 to ensure that Barari DV Ghana Limited and other mining companies pay the same royalty rate, promoting fairness.
“The benefit is that if the royalty rate is provided by law, while the Lithium company will be paying 10% rate, the other mining companies will also be paying the same unlike when Barari DV was asked to pay 10% while the other mining companies were paying 5%. That was not fair”, he stated.
The position of the Majority Caucus follows the presentation of a revised lithium mining agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Barari DV Ghana Limited by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, in which the royalty rate was pegged at 5% in conformity with the existing legal framework.
The revised agreement is strongly opposed by the Minority Caucus, who argues that Ghana has been shortchanged.
Besides the government taking the necessary steps to amend the existing mining legal framework, Alhaji Dauda noted that Parliament working through the Lands and Natural Resources Committee has triggered a stakeholder engagement by inviting public memoranda on the proposed lithium agreement between the Republic of Ghana and Barari DV Ghana Limited.
This stakeholder engagement, he noted, would enable the Committee to make an informed decision and make good recommendations to guide the House to ratify the agreement or otherwise.
