A former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has cautioned against exporting Ghana’s lithium in its raw form, stressing that doing so would shortchange the nation.

Speaking during a parliamentary session on March 19, 2026, Jinapor referenced arguments made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who highlighted examples from South American countries where lithium and other green minerals are being exploited.

“In fact, on one occasion, it was even suggested that the state itself should exploit these minerals and that private sector should not be involved. And that Ghana should find money to exploit these minerals. If we do not have the money, we should not even mine the mineral.”

Jinapor, however, defended the agreement he presented to Parliament, which includes a mandatory clause requiring Barare Divi to establish a refinery in Ghana.

“This will ensure that our lithium is refined into a value-added form before export,” he said, noting that the company had even conducted research and project modelling for the refinery.

He expressed concern over the absence of a report that should have supported this initiative.

Parliament approves lithium mining deal

“That is missing, Mr Speaker. That is troubling. Every Ghanaian should be concerned. Civil society should be concerned. The majority should be concerned,” he said.

Abu Jinapor also criticised the terms of a competing agreement, saying, “If we had ended on the 16th of July 2024, we would not see this day, the 19th of March 2026. We would not see that this same agreement is being presented to this House with 13% free credit interest that we negotiated for, now 19%. We would not see the agreement without a provision for value addition. The agreement being presented is fundamentally the same as what was proposed by our friends.”

He urged Parliament to withdraw the current report, emphasising the importance of refining lithium to benefit Ghanaians.

“The lithium resources are so important to the Ghanaian people. We are opposed to this report. Find a way of refining it so that we can add value to the lithium resources of our country for the benefit of the Ghanaian people. That is what will help our country,” Jinapor said.

MRA/VPO

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