Lands Committee in parliament calls for amendment to lithium royalty law

The Lands Committee of Parliament has called for changes to the country’s mining laws to resolve disagreements over the lithium royalty agreement signed with Barari DV Ghana Limited.

Committee chairman Collins Dauda explained that the original 10% royalty rate approved under the previous administration did not comply with the Minerals and Mining Amendment Act of 2010, which sets a standard rate of 5%.

A new agreement was later presented to reflect the 5% rate, but Minority MPs resisted the revision.

Dauda stated that the committee did not reject the agreement, as has been claimed.

He explained that members only insisted that the law must be followed and that the necessary amendments should be made to align the royalty rate with current legal requirements.

He noted that Parliament, as the body that makes the laws, also expects those laws to be obeyed.

He stressed that lawmakers cannot demand compliance while approving decisions that go against the law.

He added that the committee’s position was clear and supported by members on both sides.

Dauda said the committee advised the Lands Minister to begin the process of amending the law, but that step has not yet been taken.

He described claims of rejection as inaccurate and emphasised that the committee only called for the right legal procedures to be followed.

By: Jacob Aggrey

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