Media Relations Officer for the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Paa Kwesi Schandorf has described the demand by the Minority in Parliament for the Minister to resign over the suspension of the lithium agreement as “logically defective”.
He explained that in any governance process and system, it requires that government will take decisions in the interest of its citizens, hence the Minister’s decision to suspend the lithium agreement to allow stakeholder engagement.
According to him, such decision cannot be described as “inconsistency” and “uncertainty” as the Minority claims.
“It is a very defective logic because in the entirety of our governance process, at every given point, we will meet a new development. This new development will warrant that we take a step back and make changes.
“Is it the case that if at any given point, any minister or appointee whatsoever takes a step in the interest of Ghanaians just to manifest change that is necessary, the fellow in question has failed? If that is the case then we will not be making improvement,” he stated.
In an interview on Accra-based Citi FM, Wednesday, December 17, 2025, Paa Kwesi Schandorf emphasised that the Minority’s call holds no water and must be treated with the contempt it deserves.
“So the fact that we are changing from A to B in the interest of the Ghanaian people should not be interpreted in anyway as failure. I do not see where the failure actually lies. That’s why I gave the caution this should outrightly be dismissed,” he added.
The Minority in Parliament on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 demanded an immediate resignation of the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah who is also acting as the Environment, Science and Technology Minister over what they described as his “inconsistencies” on the lithium mining agreement.
Speaking for the caucus at a press conference, Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Ekow Assafuah explained that the Minister’s initial defence of the agreement and his later withdrawal of same after the public backlash exposed his lack of direction.
He says Parliament has been embarrassed due to that action, warranting an effortless resignation of the Minister.
“The Minority of the 9th Parliament is of the firm view that the honourable course of action is for the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources to resign or be relieved off his position in the interest of accountability, good governance and restoration of public trust in the management of Ghana’s mineral resources,” he stated.
The Caucus demanded that the Lands Minister must bear responsibility for emphatically assuring Parliament that the Lithium agreement satisfied all necessary requirement only for it to be withdrawn.
They said the Minister’s action raises grave concern about ministerial responsibility, credibility and standards of governance.
“When the Minister gives Parliament firm and unequivocal assurance that all legal, technical and procedural requirements have been satisfied and the same agreement is later withdrawn on the basis that those requirements were not in fact fully met. Accountability must necessarily follow.
“In every democracy, Ministers bears personal responsibility for the accuracy and reliability and completeness of the information they place before Parliament,” he said.
The Minority argued that managing such a resource requires clarity, consistency, and foresight — qualities they say were lacking in the Minister’s handling of the Barari DV deal.
The Minority said the Minister’s “erratic handling of this matter has undermined public confidence, weakened government’s negotiating positions and exposed Parliament to avoidable embarrassment.”
On December 10, 2025, government announced the withdrawal of the revised lithium mining agreement to allow further consultations with key stakeholders after public uproar over 5% royalty rate.
Speaking on the decision in Parliament on Wednesday, December 10, Deputy Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Yusif Sulemana, explained, “Listening to my colleagues from the other side, they have made my work very easy. They have given reasons why there’s a need for us to withdraw this agreement. It is for that reason that the listening minister, the listening government, has decided that we will withdraw this agreement, do further work involving you, so that together we can move forward.”
He clarified that before resubmitting the agreement, the government had been convinced by NGOs and influential figures in the extractives industry to carry out additional technical and stakeholder engagements.
He claimed that the action shows the government’s readiness to manage the nation’s mineral riches with transparency and accountability.
