The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has called for fresh investigations into the ongoing dispute between Electrochem Ghana Limited and some residents of Ada regarding salt mining concessions in the area.
Speaker Bagbin expressed dissatisfaction with the findings of a joint committee on Energy and Lands, which had been tasked with addressing the conflict surrounding the Songhor salt mining agreement between the state and Electrochem Ghana Limited.
The investigation followed a petition by some indigenes of Ada, who requested Parliament to look into alleged abuses and breaches of the lease agreement granted to the company.
While the committee’s report recommended, among other things, educating the local population on how mineral leases operate, it also stressed that the lease should be upheld. However, Speaker Bagbin criticized the committee’s work, stating that the investigation was not thorough enough.
“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.”
