By: Kenneth Appiah Bani
The Minority in Parliament has called for the immediate resignation of the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, citing alleged inconsistencies and poor management in the handling of the contentious lithium agreement with Barari DV Limited.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, the Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, accused the Minister of misleading Parliament by strongly defending the agreement as being in Ghana’s national interest, only for the government to later withdraw it on grounds of inadequate stakeholder consultation.
According to Mr Assafuah, the withdrawal of the agreement directly contradicts the assurances earlier given by the Minister to Parliament, raising serious questions about transparency and accountability. He stressed that ministers bear personal responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of information presented to the House.
“The same agreement was vigorously defended before Parliament and later withdrawn on the basis that the necessary requirements had not been fully met. Accountability must necessarily follow,” he stated.
The Old Tafo MP argued that the sequence of events has eroded public confidence in government decision-making, weakened Ghana’s credibility in negotiations with potential investors, and subjected Parliament to unnecessary embarrassment.
He further emphasised that effective parliamentary oversight depends on proper consultation and stakeholder engagement being completed before agreements are submitted for approval, not after they have been withdrawn amid public backlash.
Mr Assafuah underscored the strategic importance of lithium to Ghana’s industrialisation drive, energy transition agenda, job creation for the youth, and environmental sustainability. He contended that the management of such a critical national resource requires clarity, consistency, and foresight—qualities he said were lacking in the Minister’s handling of the Barari DV agreement.
“In any functional and accountable democracy, a minister who presides over such contradictions on matters of national importance must accept personal responsibility,” he asserted.
The Minority, he said, has therefore concluded that the most honourable course of action is for the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to step down.
The call for resignation comes amid growing scrutiny from civil society organisations and opposition lawmakers over the lithium agreement, which was laid before Parliament for ratification earlier this month but was abruptly withdrawn.
The Minority insists that the reversal exposes serious governance lapses and highlights the urgent need for stronger parliamentary oversight in agreements involving Ghana’s strategic mineral resources.
