Friends of the Nation, a civil society organisation working directly with communities affected by the Ewoyaa Lithium Project, has welcomed Parliament’s ratification of the mining lease while calling on the government and Atlantic Lithium to avoid rushing critical processes that could harm over 1,500 project-affected people in Ghana’s Central Region.
In a press statement released from Sekondi in March 2026, the organisation acknowledged the significance of Parliament’s decision on March 19, which made Ghana the first country in West Africa to grant and ratify a lithium mining lease, formally opening the way for commercial extraction at Ewoyaa in the Mfantsiman Municipality.
The ratified lease gives Atlantic Lithium, through its Ghanaian subsidiary Barari DV Ghana Limited, exclusive rights to conduct mining and commercial production at Ewoyaa for an initial 15-year period, renewable under Ghanaian law. The lease also introduces a sliding royalty scale on spodumene concentrate, ranging from 5 percent when prices fall below 1,500 dollars per tonne to 12 percent when they exceed 3,200 dollars per tonne.
Friends of the Nation said the ratification, which came nearly three years after the mining lease was first granted by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in October 2023, should not be allowed to generate undue haste at the implementation stage. The organisation specifically flagged concerns around farmland compensation, resettlement, and environmental management as areas requiring careful, community-centred handling.
The group highlighted the particular vulnerability of Mankessim and surrounding communities, noting that the area already suffers from seasonal water shortages and that project-affected families have no alternative farmland available to them. It warned that the loss of traditional livelihoods for affected residents must be treated as a central implementation priority, not an afterthought.
Residents in Ewoyaa and adjoining communities including Amanse, Nankesedo, Anokye, Abonko and Twafo have faced land access restrictions and stalled compensation plans while awaiting the final approval. The organisation said those outstanding matters must now be resolved before the project advances further.
Friends of the Nation said it would continue providing communities with the knowledge and tools needed to engage effectively with the project and demand accountability, while also respecting the legitimate interests of the project developer.
The statement was signed by Executive Director Donkris Mevuta.
