A few weeks after the Parliament ratified the mining Lease Agreement for the Ewoyaa Lithium Project, a new conversation is springing up over the potential impact of the project on the members of the affected communities.
This means the spotlight is shifting from the delayed ratification to how the project, which has received the green light to proceed, will affect residents in the catchment area.
An advocacy group, Friends of the Nation, is arguing that while the deal between the Government of Ghana and Barari DV Ghana Ltd. promises to put Ghana on the global map for clean energy minerals, it is warning that the real cost of the project will be measured in the lives of the 1,500 people living directly in its path.
In a press release cited by The High Street Journal, Friends of the Nation explains that for the families in and around Ewoyaa, lithium, the resource is more than just a component for electric vehicle batteries; it represents a fundamental shift in their way of life.
The organization, which has been working closely with these communities, is raising urgent concerns about what happens to a farmer when their soil is replaced by a mine.
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A Question of Survival
FoN argues that land and water are the most pressing “human” needs. They are concerned about the lack of alternative farmland.
For generations, these communities have survived on the land. FoN points out that if this land is taken for mining, there is currently no clear plan for where these families, and their children, will grow food in the future.
Beyond the soil, there is the issue of water. The project sits near Mankessim, an area already plagued by months of water shortages.
According to FoN, residents fear that a large-scale mining operation could swallow up the remaining water resources or leave them polluted, turning a daily struggle for clean water into a full-blown crisis.
The Numbers
While FoN admits that the project promises “local economic stimulation” and new jobs, it emphasizes that 1,500 project-affected persons are currently facing the potential loss of their traditional livelihoods.
These are not just statistics; they are parents worried about school fees and youth worried about their inheritance.
For them, development must not come at the expense of community rights, environmental sustainability, and long-term well-being. The group further notes that the three-year delay in ratifying the deal should have been used to ensure every voice was heard.
“While the project presents prospects such as employment, local economic stimulation, and infrastructure development, legitimate concerns also arise. These include the lack of alternative land for farming for those whose lands fall within the project area and their descendants, possible impacts on water resources, especially for an area in and around Mankessim that suffers from months of water shortages, environmental degradation, and the potential loss of traditional livelihoods for some of the over 1,500 project affected persons,” portions of the release read.
It added, “We emphasize that development must not come at the expense of community rights, environmental sustainability, and long-term wellbeing.”
The Call for a Human-Centered Approach
FoN pushes that now that the project is moving into implementation, the government and the mining company should not be in haste.
The group insists that the dignity of the community must remain at the heart of the project. As the machines prepare to move in, the goal remains ensuring that the green energy of the future does not leave the people of Ewoyaa in the dark
It is the hope of FoN that this mineral wealth will bring genuine progress to the affected communities, not just the loss of the only life they have ever known.
