Osagyefo Amanfo Edu VI, Paramount Chief of the Mankessim Traditional Area, has dismissed reports that chiefs in the Central Region are resisting the government’s decision to peg Ghana’s lithium royalty at 5%. He says the claims—circulating in sections of the media—are false and engineered by civil society group Friends of the Nation (FoN).
Addressing the Mankessim Traditional Council last week, the Omanhen insisted that the position of traditional authorities aligns with national mining laws, which currently set mineral royalties at 5% for all companies.
“It is very true that if they take the 10% royalty, the project may not come to fruition. So the government has agreed for it to be pegged at the rate in the law. That is the right thing,” he explained.
According to him, the earlier proposal to subject Atlantic Lithium to a 10% royalty was inconsistent with what other mining firms pay and risked hampering the project entirely. He said reverting to the legally approved 5% ensures fairness and maintains investor confidence.
Osagyefo Amanfo Edu VI questioned why Atlantic Lithium was initially assigned a higher rate when “all other mining companies in Ghana pay 5%.” He noted that any future adjustments to royalties must be uniform across the sector.
“Whatever percentage they want to increase it to must apply to all mining firms,” he stressed.
He flatly rejected assertions that traditional authorities in Ewoyaa, Krampakrom and nearby communities had rejected the 5% rate. Instead, he accused FoN of creating and amplifying the narrative through activist Charles Paa Grant.
“The boss of Friends of the Nation is the mastermind behind the new narrative that we traditional leaders have kicked against the 5% rate. Their boss dictated what Charles Paa Grant said in an interview,” he alleged.
The Omanhen added that Paa Grant “is not a royal” and therefore has no mandate to speak on behalf of chiefs on matters concerning mining policy or community interests.
The Chief reaffirmed that traditional leaders remain committed to ensuring that communities benefit from the lithium project but emphasised that advocacy must be rooted in accuracy, lawful processes, and proper representation.