Chamber of Mines Urges Swift Ratification of Atlantic Lithium Lease to Avert Economic Losses
By: Solomon Nartey Tetteh
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Ing. Dr. Ken Ashigbey, is urging swift ratification of Atlantic Lithium’s mining lease, warning that continued delays are costing Ghana vital economic opportunities and eroding its competitiveness in the sub-region.
In a media interview, Dr. Ashigbey cautioned that while Ghana remains stalled, neighbouring countries are rapidly advancing their lithium industries.
“Mali just started its second lithium mine. Nigeria has done about four of those. Other countries are going ahead of us,” he said.
He stressed that Ghana risks falling behind in a sector set to drive the global energy transition.
Dr. Ashigbey revealed that Atlantic Lithium had already demonstrated strong economic potential even before formal operations began. According to him, the company had become the highest tax-paying entity in the Mankessim district without extracting “a single ton or a gram of lithium.”
He added that nearly 100 jobs had been created in preparation for the project, but many workers have been left in limbo due to the prolonged delays.
“Most of those people, because of the delay in starting, have had to suffer. There are compensations that were supposed to be paid, but these have stalled,” he said.
He further noted that skills development, training programmes, and other social interventions attached to the project have also been suspended.
Dr. Ashigbey linked the stagnation to controversies that arose when the mining lease was first submitted to Parliament last year, emphasising that the impasse has negatively impacted host communities and the country at large.
“The implications for the people, the implications for us as a country, the fiscal benefits we were supposed to have gotten, the jobs we should have created all of these have suffered,” he said.
The Chamber of Mines CEO stressed that accelerating the ratification process is essential if Ghana is to secure its position in Africa’s growing lithium market and prevent further economic setbacks.
“For me, I think it’s important that we expedite the ratification of this lease,” he noted.
