Seven Seas Salt Limited's exclusive lease valid until 2026 - Lands Minister clarifies

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has addressed questions regarding the contractual status between the Minerals Commission and Seven Seas Salt Limited, formerly known as Kensington Industries Limited.

Responding to a query posed by Kwame Dzudzorli Gakpey, MP for Keta, the Minister shed light on the intricacies of the mining lease and the nature of the license granted.

Abu Jinapor reiterated the legal framework governing mineral rights, emphasizing that they are granted by the Minister responsible for Mines on behalf of the President of the Republic. The Minerals Commission advises on such matters, and mining leases are signed by the Minister on behalf of the government.

"By a Restricted Mining Lease, made on 29th December, 2011, Seven Seas Salt Limited was granted a fifteen-year lease over an area of the Keta Lagoon measuring approximately Six Thousand and four, point four eight acres (6,004.48 acres). The area, subject of the lease, is located at Adina, Agavedzi and Blekusu, all in the Ketu South District," the minister clarified.

He further indicated that a Restricted Mining Lease pertains to the extraction of industrial minerals like clay, sand, gravel, limestone, marble, and salt.

The lease in question, valid until 28 December, 2026, exclusively permits Seven Seas Salt Limited to mine salt within the specified area.

Addressing the issue of additional mining leases, Abu Jinapor highlighted that two applications submitted by the company for restricted mining leases were rejected by the Minerals Commission. These applications were rejected due to non-compliance with the country's mining laws, as per the recommendations of the Minerals Commission.

Hence, the sole existing mining transaction between Seven Seas Salt Limited and the government is the 2011 restricted mining lease for salt mining.

The lease, valid until 2026, was signed by the former Minister, Mike Allen Hammah, on behalf of the government.