Terkpebiawe Clan opposes listing Electrochem on Ghana Stock Exchange

The clan heads of Terkpebiawe in Ada have formally requested that the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) halt the listing of Electrochem Ghana Limited until the major issues surrounding the Ada Songor Lagoon lease are resolved.

The clan accuses Electrochem Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the McDan Group of Companies, of illegally extending its operations onto lands owned by the clan at the lagoon, beyond the boundaries specified in the lease agreement.

The clan's lawyer, Robert Ishmael Aggrey-Fynn Amissah, stated that while the government granted Electrochem a lease and salt mining license for a portion of the Songor Lagoon, the company has overstepped these boundaries by more than 10,000 acres, encroaching on clan lands.

The government originally leased 41,000 acres of the lagoon to Electrochem on October 29, 2020, for salt production. However, the clan alleges that Electrochem has unlawfully expanded its operations into lands surrounding the lagoon, which belong to them.

The lawyer, acting on behalf of Clan Head and Divisional Chief Nene Korle IV, Chief Warlord Asafoatsegua Glogo Dadebom V, Divisional Queen-mother Naana Korleki Korley I, and the Chief Priest of the Songor Lagoon’s Grand Deity, Libi Wornor, has requested that the GSE block Electrochem's registration.

The statement emphasized that the Terkpebiawe Clan has been the rightful owner of the Ada Songor Lagoon since ancient times, exercising proprietary rights until legislation classified the lagoon as state-owned due to its salt resources.

The clan also expressed concerns about the environmental and cultural damage caused by Electrochem's operations, which they claim have destroyed villages, ancestral cemeteries, schools, and sacred shrines in the lagoon area.

One of their primary concerns is the Songor Lagoon, which houses the clan's holy Grand Deity, "Nana Libi or Yorno," and its shrine. The area is considered sacred, and any violation is seen as blasphemous, as the Grand Deity represents the clan's spiritual core.

The statement also reminded the GSE of the alleged inhumane treatment of Ada residents by Electrochem, including the killing of Nomo Wormenor Agormeda on November 6, 2023. The lawyer claimed that the company has used armed thugs and military personnel to intimidate and brutalize local residents, resulting in injuries and even death.

Lawyer Aggrey-Fynn Amissah warned the GSE that allowing Electrochem to be listed would likely lead to increased financial investment in the company, which could further harm the clan. He vowed that the clan would take all legal and lawful measures to fight Electrochem's unjustified operations and warned that anyone supporting the company, financially or otherwise, could face repercussions.

He concluded by stating that the Terkpebiawe Clan does not oppose the industrial commercialization of salt mining in the Songor Lagoon but insists that it must respect land ownership and preserve the customs and traditions that are central to the clan's identity.

The lawyer also served notice to the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, citing the unresolved tensions in the Songor Lagoon area despite recent parliamentary committee hearings.