APA – Accra (Ghana)
The report that processes are underway to set up Africa’s first-ever lithium refinery in Takoradi in the Western Region is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Monday.
The Graphic reports that processes are underway to set up Africa’s first-ever lithium refinery in Takoradi in the Western Region.
The $500-million refinery is being established by a consortium of CAA Mining Ltd, Livista Energy, based in Luxembourg, and its Ghanaian subsidiary, Livista Ghana Ltd.
The lithium processing plant is part of a comprehensive plan to invest in the country’s budding lithium value chain in line with the Green Minerals Policy the government approved recently.
Among other measures, the Green Minerals Policy makes it mandatory for value to be added to lithium in the country rather than exporting it in its raw form.
The CEO of CAA Mining Limited, Douglas D. Chikohora, told the Daily Graphic that barring any hitches, the refinery would be completed and operationalised in 2026.
He said a parcel of 200-acre land within the Takoradi Port City had been earmarked to host the refinery.
Mr Chikohora added that preliminary discussions had been held with the Ghana Gas Company Limited for power extension and construction of a service pipeline from the existing pipeline grid to the refinery in April, this year.
The newspaper says that Ghana is set to host a United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting in Accra in December.
It will be the first time the two-day meeting, slated for December 5 and 6, this year, will be hosted in Africa but it will be the fifth UN Peacekeeping Ministerial meeting.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, together with senior officials from the UN Secretariat, announced the date for the 2023 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting at a joint press conference in New York, the United States of America (USA).
Ghana is currently serving out the second of its two-year term on the Security Council as a non-permanent member, having assumed its membership in November 2022, as the Chairman of the Council.
UN Peacekeeping is a global partnership with peacekeepers from over 120 countries deployed in some of the most challenging places in the world to help save lives, prevent conflicts, and create conditions for lasting peace.
The meeting, which brings together foreign and defence ministers, focuses on securing concrete commitments from member states to fill critical gaps, leverage new technologies and address key priorities to improve the operational effectiveness of peacekeeping missions.
With missions navigating unprecedented challenges and threats, this year’s event is expected to focus on critical issues such as the protection of civilians, strategic communications and addressing misinformation and disinformation, safety and security, the mental health of uniformed peacekeepers and the pivotal role of women in peacekeeping.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta has disclosed that, the decision to establish an Independent Secretariat for Climate Vulnerable Forum and the V20 Group of Finance Ministers was a giant step towards achieving climate prosperity objectives.
The Minister, who is the Chair of the V20 – the Finance Ministers of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, made these remarks at a high-level leaders’ meeting during the 2023 United Nations General Assembly. The meeting was on the theme “Advancing Climate Prosperity, Building a Resilient Global Financial Architecture for the Climate Vulnerable’’.
The establishment of an independent secretariat, the Minister said, would ensure that the coalition has a legal form that would facilitate the mobilisation of more resources to support member states in the development and implementation of their climate prosperity goals.
He added that, it would also ensure the provision of policy guidance, facilitation of access to financial resources for adaptation and loss and damage, build the capacity of member states, and empower them to effectively navigate challenges posed by climate change.
‘’Like all grand endeavours, if we are to become more effective and reach our full potential, our growing initiatives will need a structured coherent organisation with a crystal clear mandate and the clarity of a forward-looking vision,’’ he said.
Mr Ofori-Atta was optimistic that the membership of the Forum would increase from 68 to 100 countries by the end of COP 28, to represent about 30 per cent of the world’s population.
The Minister further noted that, the approach to establish an independent secretariat for the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the V20 Finance Ministers was a milestone and described it as “the coming of age of a formidable entity designed to sustain and amplify the efforts of our nations, to protect us from climate impacts, expand our adaptive capacity and enable us rise beyond our climate vulnerabilities’’.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who is the Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), in his address conveyed the sympathy and solidarity of the group to the people of Morocco and Libya.
‘’As we struggle to overcome the combined stress of climate change and debt, it is important to remind ourselves that what binds us is more than our collective vulnerabilities and it is our capabilities that define us and our readiness to confront together our existential threat that set us apart,’’ he stated.
The newspaper says that Absa Bank Ghana and AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, have partnered to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Obuasi and its environs as part of efforts of the latter towards the transformation of the local economy where it operates.
To this end, the two organisations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to mark the partnership.
The two will be collaborating to undertake four projects to assist SMEs within the Obuasi Mine’s operational area to improve their business capability and create non-direct mining jobs in Obuasi, with the goal of diversifying and sustaining the local economy.
The four projects are Business Acceleration and Sustainability, Women in e-Commerce, Business Supply Chain Development, and the Artisans to Entrepreneurs Project.
A statement issued by Absa Bank in Accra on Friday said the partnership would provide MSMEs with skills training and resources to drive accelerated business growth, access to finance and markets, knowledge of the digital economy, and an upskill of technical and vocational artisan skills.
By nurturing them through targeted mentorship, funding opportunities and access to industry experts, both organizstions are committed to creating an enabling and thriving entrepreneurial environment for MSMEs in Obuasi,” it said.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Absa Bank Ghana to jointly implement the four projects we co-designed. AngloGold Ashanti Ghana views this as a strategic partnership that will allow us to create a supportive environment for entrepreneurs, “Mr Emmanuel Baidoo, Senior Manager – Sustainability of AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, said.
“These initiatives we will be embarking on together seek to diversify and explore new market opportunities for local businesses, support SMEs with access to finance, as well as establish strong relationships between the Obuasi Mine and local businesses,” Mr Baidoo added.
GIK/APA
Ghana: Press zooms in on Ghana hosting Africa’s first lithium refinery, others
