Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has called for a new investigation into the ongoing dispute between Electrochem Ghana Limited and some residents of Ada over salt mining concessions in the area.
Speaker Bagbin expressed dissatisfaction with the findings of a joint committee on Energy and Lands, which was tasked with resolving the conflict surrounding the Songhor salt mining agreement between the state and Electrochem Ghana Limited.
This investigation was prompted by a petition from some Ada residents, who urged Parliament to investigate alleged abuses and breaches of the lease agreement granted to the company.
While the committee’s report recommended, among other things, educating the local community on how mineral leases function and emphasized the need to uphold the lease, Speaker Bagbin criticized the committee’s work, stating that the investigation lacked thoroughness.
“The issues that the people keep on raising, dealing with unemployment, were still not well addressed in the recommendations. The validity of the additional lease agreements for Ada West and East, covering a total of 140 acres, has to be looked into.
“The application and relevance of PNDC Law 287 and its implications for Electrochem Ghana Limited leases and future operations in the lagoon by the investor, we have to look at it.
The issue of compensation for affected parties is an outstanding issue that has not been well addressed and so there is a need for further engagement with stakeholders in this matter.”
