TWN-Africa Accuses Government of Illegality and Inequity Over Ada Songor Lagoon Deal to Electrochem Ghana
Coordinator of the Third World Network-Africa (TWN-Africa), Dr. Yao Graham, has described the government’s decision to hand over the Ada Songor Lagoon which is potentially West Africa’s largest salt-producing Lagoon, to Electrochem Ghana as an act of “illegality and inequity.”
Delivering a lecture themed “TWN-Africa@30: Organising for Equitable and Transformative Policies” on November 26, 2024, Dr. Graham accused the government of enabling the monopoly of the Lagoon by Electrochem Ghana under questionable circumstances while deploying state security forces to suppress opposition from indigenes of the affected communities.
According to Dr. Graham, the move violates the principles of PNDC Law 287 of 1992, which aimed to ensure a balanced approach to salt production by safeguarding the livelihoods of local communities and preserving the lagoon’s ecological health.
He alleged that the government’s decision to grant 158.4 square kilometers of the lagoon to Electrochem Ghana, owned by businessman Daniel McKorley, disregards these objectives.
TWN-Africa, says it has submitted a report to Parliament detailing alleged irregularities, social upheaval, and environmental risks tied to the Lagoon takeover by Electrochem Ghana.
The organization claims that the government’s decision has led to violent confrontations between local communities and security operatives working on behalf of Electrochem Ghana, exacerbating tensions and threatening social cohesion.
Speaking further during the lecture, Dr. Graham accused the government of facilitating human rights violations through the aggressive enforcement of the corporate monopoly of the Lagoon, reaffirming TWN-Africa’s commitment to supporting the Ada people’s struggle against what he called “a grave injustice” being meted to them.
Meanwhile, Electrochem Ghana, despite the controversies is advancing its expansion plans.
The company is set to raise $40 million through an initial public offering by March 2025, with a target of increasing annual salt production to 1 million tons within two years.
Electrochem also plans to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange by the end of 2026 to diversify its investor base.
The Third World Network-Africa’s 30th Anniversary public lecture focused on the organization’s contributions over the past 30 years to citizens’ struggle for equitable and transformative policies and offered perspectives on some of the current issues on Ghana’s development and policy agenda.
Established in 1994, TWN-Africa has made contributions to organizing marginalized groups to raise their interests in both local and international policy arenas.
