Dr. Kwabena Donkor urges government to balance public opinion with firm leadership on the Ewoyaa Lithium Lease, advocating informed decision-making, fair profit-sharing in renegotiations, and discernment to act boldly despite uninformed political and social media noise.
As the debate over Ghana’s Ewoyaa Lithium Project intensifies, former Minister of Power, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, is calling for a balance between public opinion and decisive leadership, which is in the interest of the state.
In his view, the government must listen, but not be paralysed by “noise”, especially when the criticism is not grounded in facts or expertise.
The former Member of Parliament made this case when he spoke in an interview with the High Street Journal.
Leaders Must Lead Amid the “Noise“
According to Dr. Donkor, while public engagement is healthy for democracy, leaders must not allow uninformed commentary to derail progress.
He cautioned that the age of social media has amplified every voice, whether knowledgeable or not, and that can easily distort national conversations on technical matters like mining.
“You see, we also have a challenge of resource nationalism. We have too many people with little knowledge of the subject matter, making the most noise,” he indicated.
Drawing from an experience during his time as Minister for Power, he cited the Ameri Project, a power deal once heavily criticised but now acknowledged as successful, as an example of how political noise can drown out technical reasoning.
For him, the government must discern which public sentiments to consider and which to filter out.
“The criticisms shown at the Ameri Project at the time, from political grandstanding, rather than from economics, development, or engineering, were so huge. And yet, today, most people say the Ameri Project is a great project,” he indicated.
He added, “So leaders must be prepared to lead. You can be distracted by ugly noises. Noises not based on knowledge. Noises based on political sentiments. Noises, no matter how well-intentioned, are not based on facts. We can be held hostage by those noises.”
Beyond Batteries – Understanding Lithium’s Real Value
Dr. Donkor also reminded Ghanaians that lithium is not only for batteries. He explained that the minerals’ by-products, such as those used in ceramics and other industries, hold significant economic promise on their own. He therefore disagreed with the position that the drop in lithium prices on the world market makes the project not viable.
According to him, the by-products of the lithium alone, if well managed and integrated, could sustain the project.
This, he said, should broaden how Ghanaians view the Ewoyaa Project. “If you look at our lithium find, the ceramics and other by-products alone should be able to sustain a whole industry,” he said.
He therefore suggested that the national conversation must move beyond narrow views of lithium as just a battery mineral.
Renegotiation, Yes, But It Must Be Fair and Balanced
While supporting calls for better terms, Dr. Donkor warned that renegotiation must not be about punishment but partnership. He advocates for a fair formula that shares both gains and risks between the state and investors.
In his view, the agreement must allow Ghana to share in the upside when markets are strong but also to absorb some shocks when prices dip.
This, he believes, ensures a long-term collaboration rather than confrontation.
“We can renegotiate, but in the renegotiation, we make the profit sharing or the burden sharing equal. When prices are good, the state must benefit more. When prices are down, the economics goes down, and the state must also make a sacrifice. So we must take the gain as well as the loss, with the partners,” proposed.
The Bottomline
The mining consultant’s position is not for the government to ignore public concerns, but to exercise discernment. He acknowledges that leaders must remain accountable but insists that excessive caution can cripple development.
As Parliament prepares to decide on the fate of the Ewoyaa Lithium Lease, Dr. Donkor calls for a balance between listening to the people and leading with courage.
The government, he says, must protect its national interest through fair renegotiation, ensure equitable profit-sharing, and guard against being swayed by uninformed public pressure.
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