Urge Parliament to Reject the Deal
By Philip Antoh
Ghana’s budding lithium frontier risks cementing another chapter in the annals of unequal resource extraction, as the Progressive Alliance of Ghana (PAG) rallies parliamentary opposition to a draft mining pact with Barari DV Ghana Limited, decrying the government’s proposed 13% free carried interest as a pittance that echoes decades of foreign-dominated deals in gold, bauxite, and cocoa.
The agreement, tabled for legislative scrutiny amid rising global demand for the battery metal, envisions Barari a UAE-backed entity eyeing the Ewoyaa deposit in the Central Region spearheading development with minimal Ghanaian equity.
PAG, a vocal critic of post-colonial resource mismanagement, insists this setup dooms the nation to peripheral gains while expatriate firms reap the bulk of upstream profits and technology transfers.
Dr. John Kpikpi, erstwhile head of the Ghana First Coalition and now PAG’s presidential aspirant, minced no words in an Accra press briefing: Ghana must claim at least 85% ownership, relegating Barari to a 15% slice, to break the cycle of “over-exploitation” abetted by successive administrations.
Kpikpi, a pastor at Ashale Botwe’s City of God Church, frames the push as existential: “We must become true owners of the riches beneath our ground,” he declared, invoking the ghosts of colonial concessions and the 1990s mining code’s modest reforms.
The group’s blueprint extends beyond equity, advocating heavy investments in domestic processing and skills a bid to sidestep the raw ore export trap that has left Ghana importing refined products at inflated costs.
Lithium, pivotal for electric vehicles and renewables, could fetch billions if value chains stay local, yet PAG warns that without renegotiation, the Ewoyaa windfall will evaporate like prior booms in oil and manganese.
Parliamentary hearings loom as a flashpoint, with PAG mobilising allies in the National Democratic Congress-dominated house to torpedo the deal and force a rethink.
This comes against a backdrop of Mahama’s administration touting resource sovereignty, even as fiscal pressures from debt restructuring tempt quick-fix partnerships.
Barari’s overtures promising jobs and infrastructure may sway some, but Kpikpi’s broadside underscores a deeper malaise: without bold renegotiation, the country’s lithium lottery risks enriching outsiders while locals foot the environmental bill.
As global green transitions accelerate, Accra’s choices could redefine or repeat the extractive playbook.