We Must Build Capacity To Maximize Gains From Lithium Discovery- Prof Aryeetey

A former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey has urged the urgent need for Ghana to invest in capacity building of its human capital for the country to maximize the full benefits from its lithium discovery.

According Prof Aryeetey who is currently Vice Chairman of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) Advisory Council, there is the need for substantial investment relative to the extractive sector for the neccesary impact to reflect in the Ghanaian economy.

Prof Aryeetey who was addressing a National Stakeholder Dialogue on Energy Transition which focus on Lithium discovery in Ghana said “It’s important to note the challenges, as lithium on its own cannot make any big difference to the economy of Ghana”.

He added that “For it to have any impact on the economy, we have to invest massively in the production of the green energy. In order to encourage that investment, we have to build capacity by equipping our students in the Universities to understand the emerging technologies in the extractive sector,”.

The call comes in the wake of Lithium discovery in commercial quantities in some parts of the country specifically at Ewoyaa, near Cape Coast in the Central Region.

The Mineral Income Investment Fund (MIIF) announced the discovery by Australian firm, Atlantic Lithium putting Ghana on the track to become West Africa’s first producing mine of lithium.

Speaking at the same forum, the Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security, Nana Amoasi the Seventh called for lessons to be learnt from the past to ensure the institution of proper regulations to promote the efficient and sustainable exploitation of the new resource in the country.

“We must regulate the sector very well. We must put in the right policies and legislation so that we can manage the resource very well but this must not come equally with corruption as it has been our bane and we find it in the extractive sector,” he added.

Stressing on the need for the active participation of the locals Nana Amoasi (VII) said, “ We must also see local participation so much in that the licensing process, we must ensure that Ghanaians are holding those license and if there are foreign partners we must ensure that there are safeguards which put the Ghanaian interest paramount,”

By Christian Kpesese/eagleghana.com