Ghana has passed a green-minerals policy to regulate the extraction and production of lithium as a first step toward participating in this multibillion-dollar industry, according to media reports.
The policy document was approved by the cabinet on July 27, according to minister of lands and natural resources Samuel Jinapor.
It is expected to be approved by Parliament before the end of the year, and once implemented, it will lay out the rules and tax structure for extracting "green minerals" in a way that maximises profit for Ghana.
“Ghana is seeking to operate at a level that makes the best out of the resource as much as practical,” Jinapor was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
“Ghana’s Green Minerals Policy as approved by cabinet demands that not a single volume of lithium produced in this country will be allowed to be exported in its raw state.”
Western governments are scrambling to ensure supplies of critical minerals required for the transition to clean energy, which has fueled Ghana's lithium industry's growth.
Jinapor said Atlantic Lithium, based in Australia, is one of the companies exploring lithium in Ghana, though it has not yet applied for a mining lease.
"When they come, the government will engage with them," he said.
Ghana is Africa's leading gold producer, and it also has manganese, graphite, and cobalt resources.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
