By Maltiti Sayida Sadick
In 2017, President Akufo-Addo came up with a new policy framework to put together systematic steps to retain the highest end of the value chain in mining.
It is against this backdrop that the minister for Lands and Natural Resources Samuel Abu Jinapor speaking at a Bloomberg New Economy Gateway Africa conference on the theme: ‘Mine Your Business; building value from the Green Transition’ said under no circumstances will Ghana export her Lithium in its raw form or export green minerals in their raw form.
Mr. Jinapor said transforming the industry cannot be done in a day but with an intentional institution of policy frameworks that can work to transform the value of the resource into the development of Ghana. He added that infrastructure is the backbone of seeing success in the mining industry, which includes a reliable and vibrant transport system like rail as seen in other countries, creating an enabling environment for investors to come and play ball, rule of law which is access to a fair hearing.
Ghana is now the leading producer of Gold, overtaking South Africa. The West African country is blessed with Gold, Diamonds, Bauxite, Iron Ore, Manganese, Graphite and Lithium. According to experts, the global lithium industry at the mining stage is about 11 billion US dollars but the value of the industry at the highest end, which is battery production is estimated at 7 trillion US dollars.
The Minister said Government’s intervention to end illegal small-scale mining popularly called Galamsey is reforming the industry by providing a licensing regime, better equipment and infrastructure, prosecuting illegal miners to deter others, and encouraging exploration of technology to engage in better artisanal mining.
He went on to say mining and still protecting the environment can peaceably coexist especially using better forms of extraction like solar and gas. The Minister added that Lithium will play a key role in Ghana’s vibrant automobile industry, taking cognizance of the fact that the processes from mining to battery production are very capital-intensive. Currently, China is the only country doing end-to-end retention of the full value from mining to battery production.
