Lands Ministry Rejects Calls for Minister's Resignation

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has vehemently dismissed calls for the resignation of Lands Minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, labelling the Minority in Parliament’s demands as politically motivated and lacking merit.

The Ministry’s response comes in the wake of accusations that Mr. Buah misled Parliament regarding the Barari DV lithium agreement, which was subsequently withdrawn due to concerns over insufficient stakeholder consultation.

The Minority argued that the handling of the agreement eroded the Minister’s credibility, warranting his resignation. However, according to Paa Kwesi Schandorf, the Ministry’s Media Relations Officer, these calls are “bereft of substance” and do not hold water.

Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Wednesday, December 17, Mr. Schandorf described the demand as a “mere political distraction” that serves no useful purpose in advancing the nation’s interests.

He further referenced earlier comments made by President John Mahama, emphasizing the government’s openness to constructive criticism, provided it’s based on factual information. “In matters concerning our natural resources and governance as a whole, criticism is welcome. However, every form of criticism must be grounded in substance and fact. Unfortunately, this particular call does not have any of those. It has no legs to stand on,” he stated.

Mr. Schandorf clarified that consultations with stakeholders regarding the Barari DV lithium agreement are still actively progressing, with the aim of refining the deal’s provisions. “As we speak, stakeholder engagements are ongoing with a view to refining the tenets of the agreement. Even industry players, including Engineer Ken Ashigbey, have called for deeper stakeholder engagement.

If this process is ongoing, I find it difficult to understand why anyone would demand that the minister spearheading these efforts should step aside,” he added.

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