- The West African country plans to mine lithium.
- Details of the Lithium Mining deal have attracted public criticism on the benefits Ghana is likely to gain.
The Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, may visit Ghana following advanced plans to mine lithium in the country. According to the Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutuom, Dickson Adomako Kissi, it will not be surprising to see the billionaire investor visiting Ghana soon due to the importance of lithium to his company’s operations.
Kissi stated, “I am happy that something from Ghana will go to space because lithium is one of the things that help in space exploration—talking about batteries and all. And from the look of things, we might soon receive a visit from Elon Musk. Ghana is now closer to California due to lithium.” He urged the government to ensure bonding with societies related to lithium and also called for measures to add value to the raw materials mined locally.
However, details of the deal have attracted public criticism on the benefits Ghana is likely to gain. According to critics, including the IEA, the agreement which gives Ghana a 10% royalty is a shortchange against the country’s development. But the government, on the other hand, describes the deal as the best Ghana has ever signed for mining the nation’s natural resources.