CSOs Launch Feminist Minerals Initiative to Address Lithium Concerns
Community members in Afrangua in the Central Region have expressed serious concerns over compensation arrangements and livelihood impacts linked to the Ewoyaa Lithium Project, as implementing partners officially launched the Feminist Minerals Initiative (FMI) in the area.
The inception meeting, organised by the Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL), Friends of the Nation (FoN) and Wacam in partnership with Oxfam in Ghana, brought together approximately 45 participants including traditional authorities, district assembly officials, youth and women's groups and directly affected community members.
The Feminist Minerals Initiative aims to strengthen community participation, improve accountability in Ghana's critical minerals sector, and ensure meaningful inclusion of women, youth and vulnerable groups in decisions surrounding lithium extraction.
As part of the project, the implementing partners will focus on legal awareness, Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), compensation issues, grievance mechanisms and access to justice.
The participants highlighted several grievances regarding current compensation practices by Atlantic Lithium, the company developing the project. They also reported that trees used for charcoal production are excluded from compensation, and informal livelihood activities remain inadequately recognised in valuation assessments.
"We cannot plant long-term crops because we don't know when we will lose access to our farms," one participant stated, reflecting widespread anxiety about future land access and household income security.
Furthermore, the community members also raised concerns that compensation assessments occur after land surveys, with some landowners being asked to clear farms before valuation is completed, creating uncertainty about what resources will be compensated.
Discussions revealed significant power imbalances between landowners, tenant farmers, traditional authorities, and mining companies. Tenants and vulnerable groups reportedly have limited influence during negotiations on land acquisition and compensation.
While community members acknowledged that Atlantic Lithium has established dialogue committees and grievance channels, participants stressed the need for broader participation, particularly for women, youth and vulnerable persons, in decision-making processes.
Representatives from the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District Assembly expressed support for the project, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between local authorities and implementing partners to strengthen governance in the lithium sector.
The participants proposed several recommendations, including: Greater transparency in compensation assessments; Improved women and youth participation in decision-making; Better recognition of diverse livelihood activities; Stronger grievance handling mechanisms; and Learning visits to established mining communities like Tarkwa, Obuasi and Kenyasi
CEPIL, FoN and Wacam assured participants of continued collaboration to strengthen legal awareness, improve access to justice and support rights-based engagement throughout project implementation. Priority issues identified include strengthening FPIC implementation, improving grievance documentation, and addressing power imbalances between companies and affected communities.
The Feminist Minerals Initiative marks the beginning of a collaborative process that will include legal literacy sessions, FPIC dialogues, policy engagement and community monitoring across the project area.