Former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel A. Jinapor, has called for a just and equitable approach to the governance of critical minerals as the world steps up efforts towards a clean energy transition.
He said Africa’s vast deposits of lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, manganese and other critical minerals presented the continent with a major opportunity for economic transformation.
However, he cautioned against repeating the historical pattern of exporting raw materials and importing finished products.
Mr Jinapor was speaking at the launch of a research project titled “Justice in Critical Minerals Governance and Energy Transition” in Accra yesterday.
The project is being implemented through partnerships involving King’s College London, the University of Ghana, universities and civil society organisations in Chile and Australia.
Mr Jinapor said the International Energy Agency projected that demand for critical minerals could triple by 2030 and quadruple by 2040 if global net-zero targets were to be achieved.
He said the transition should be guided by three dimensions of justice: justice between nations, justice between states and communities, and justice between present and future generations.
According to him, resource-rich developing countries continued to capture only a fraction of the value generated from their mineral resources because refining, manufacturing and technological development largely took place elsewhere.
He cited Ghana’s experience in the gold and bauxite industries, where the country had historically exported raw materials while importing refined products.
Mr Jinapor said Ghana’s lithium resources offered an opportunity to pursue a different path through greater local participation, value addition, refining, technology transfer and skills development.
He also stressed the need for mining communities to participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their lands and livelihoods.
He said justice must also extend to future generations, stressing that mineral wealth should be converted into lasting assets through investments in infrastructure, education and technology.
Mr Jinapor urged African countries to adopt a common position on critical minerals to strengthen their bargaining power and ensure that the continent became an active participant in global green industrialisation.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG AND PERPETUAL MENSAH
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