Stranek-Africa outlines measures to mitigate the fight for climate change

Following the discovery of lithium in various regions of the country, a civil society group, Stranek-Africa is calling for proper measures to enable the country rake in the full benefit.

According to the group, the fight against climate change could be augmented by the extraction of lithium.

"Atranek-Africa discovered that there are minerals which for a long time have been  extracted to battle climate change.

Minerals such as graphite, lithium, cobalt et cetera are used to produce low-carbon technologies like electric vehicles, energy storage facilities among others.Most of these minerals are produced in developing countries", it stated.

In a statement signed by the Executive Director, Nii Tettey Tetteh Esq. LL.M copied to Soireenews.com urging government to consider the suggestions been tabled.

Stranek-Africa has posited that proper measures ought to be put in place to ensure transparency and accountability in the fight against climate change.

Firstly, Stranek-Africa noted that in order to set the appropriate mining authorities to watch keenly sites identified to have been rich in lithium, satellites must be set up by the appropriate mining authorities.

"The intention behind these monitoring should be about ensuring the mining of minerals In commercial quantities", it explained.

Secondly, the unregulated small-scale miners must be prevented from encroaching the mineral, lithium,so that Ghana can benefit doom the extraction of minerals.

Stranek-Africa said all those measures could be achieved by depersonalizing the process of application to mine is concerned.

" Mining is a chief contributor to Ghana’s economy,apart from it been a major economic activity in Ghana. Prior to 1983, most Ghanaian mining production were owned by the state which led to lack of investment and recapitalisation. The lack of investment and recapitalisation brought the migration of persons with the requisite technical knowhow to other jurisdictions", the statement.

"Today, there has been a paradigm shift and the mining industry of Ghana contributes 5% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product"

In 2018, Ghana discovered a new mineral, lithium through the Ghana Minerals Commission. This detection was made in the Volta, Western and Ashanti Regions and according to the Ghana Minerals Commission, the discovery was during a nationwide exploration. Indeed, if lithium is produced in commercial quantities in Ghana, it will contribute immensely to supplying materials which can be used to fight climate change. Ghana can play an important role in the electric car manufacturing business which is part of the low-carbon technologies", the statement further said.

Stranek-Africa disclosed that natural resource curse should not be Ghana’s portion.