Features
Mrs Alexandra Amoako-Mensah, discoverer of Lithium in Ghana
Mrs Amoako Mensah with CEO of Atlantic Lithium Keith Muller
In the heavily male-dominated geological industry in Ghana, one female stands out with a huge mark, creating an incredible path for others to emulate.
Geologist Mrs Alexandra Amoako-Mensah’s thesis in the 1970s led to the discovery of lithium in Ghana.
In her desperation to explore Ghana’s natural resource potential beyond the gold industry, an ambitious Amoako-Mensah engaged in a research-based thesis, supervised by Dr Oleg Von Knorring with the title, ‘Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Spodumene Pegmatites with Particular Reference to Spodumene Occurrences at Saltpond, Ghana.’ The thesis was published in 1971.
Spodumene pegmantites are generally known to be the main hard rock that houses the element lithium, which has realised a massive surge in demand for its use in electric vehicle batteries, globally considered to be essential in the transition to green energy era to combat climate change.
During her research which took place at Ewoyaa in the Central region, Mrs Amoako-Mensah had to surmount numerous physical and psychological challenges in order to complete the thesis.
“I went through a thick forest in search of spodumene-bearing pegmatites, relying solely on a hand-held compass and the unusual nature of my profession at the time attracted curious glances from colleagues and onlookers alike,” she said.
Little did she know that, her time-consuming and back-breaking research would be crucial in Ghana’s discovery of lithium which would essentially improve the socio-economic status of the country.
In 2016, following the discovery of lithium in West Africa, established geologist, Len Kolff in his search for pegmatite potential areas on the continent, came across Mrs Amoako-Mensah’s thesis.
The thesis, which focused on the region’s mineralogy, geochemistry and petrology, provided Kolff, now Head of Business Development and Chief Geologist at Atlantic Lithium, clear understanding on the potentials of Saltpond’s spodumene pegmatite which led to Ghana’s first official discovery of lithium in 2018.
Kolff said after the discovery, “Mrs. Amoako-Mensah’s thesis gave an in-depth insight into the mineralogy of pegmatites in the Saltpond area. This was critical to understanding the economic potential of the area’s lithium pegmatites, which proved to be a key part of the puzzle in the discovery of Ewoyaa.”
“Without Mrs. Amoako-Mensah’s thesis and the regional mapping that she completed, we may never have travelled to Ghana for the first time to follow up on it,” he added.
Fast forward, in October 2023, over five decades after Mrs Amoako-Mensah’s thesis, the government of Ghana granted Barari DV Ghana Limited (Atlantic Lithium’s Ghanaian subsidiary) a Mining Lease in respect of the Ewoyaa Lithium Project, putting the project firmly on track to become Ghana’s first lithium mine.
The project valued over US$5 billion is estimated to generate over 800 direct jobs for Ghanaians.
“I never envisaged that my work would contribute to Ewoyaa becoming a mining area and the focus of national discussions about lithium production. During my recent visit, I was amazed at the tremendous change that is underway at Ewoyaa and that, no doubt, will soon come from the commencement of lithium mining operations,” Mrs Amoako-Mensah mentioned during a recent visit by Atlantic Lithium to the Project site.
“I am excited because my project work has yielded fruit that will benefit Ghanaians. I am grateful to God that I am alive to experience lithium mining in Ghana,” she added.
She was a geologist at the former Geological Survey Department (now the Geological Survey Authority of Ghana) from 1966 to 1972, where she climbed the ranks to become the Head of the GSD’s laboratories at its headquarters in Accra and in Saltpond.
From 1972-1997, she worked at the former Industrial Research Institute (now Institute of Industrial Research of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research; ‘CSIR’), where she rose to the position of Chief Research Officer.
During her time at the institute, she became Head of the Material Science Division, before serving as a Director from 1987 to 1997. She then served as Director at the CSIR Head Office from 1997 until her compulsory retirement in 2000.
She also served on the boards of many local and international companies and technical committees, including the United Nations (UN) Scientific and Technical Committee on the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR), the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), the Minerals Commission and the Governing Council of GNPC Learning Foundation.
She was also the Secretary General of the Geological Society of Africa between 1988 and 1993 and President of the Ghana Institution of Geoscientists from 2006 until 2017.
She is the sixth of nine children, born in Takoradi to parents Samuel Sey Afful and Mary Amoasiwa Quaye Afful from Apam in the Central region.
She went to Wesley Girls’ High School, Cape Coast in 1960 where she was awarded a scholarship to read Geology at the St. Petersburg State University in Russia.
She returned to Ghana in 1966 and joined the Ghana Geological Survey where she met Prof. Shacketon, a visiting professor at the University of Ghana. Upon recognising her potential, Prof Shackleton offered her admission to Leeds University, UK to unable her advance in her academic research.
Supported by her late husband, Dr Alfred Kwadwo Archer Amoako-Mensah, she travelled to Leeds to pursue a Master of Philosophy in Geochemistry in 1971.
Currently, Mrs. Amoako-Mensah serves as the Board Chairperson of SAL Consult Limited, a multi-disciplinary water and environmental consultancy company, and remains a member of Women in Mining, Ghana.
Now 83 and a proud mother to her four sons, Alfred, Michael, Samuel and Joseph-Emmanuel, Mrs. Amoako-Mensah resides in Accra.
By Michael D. Abayateye
Walk into any supermarket in Accra, Kumasi, or Tamale today, and you will see the modern Ghanaian diet packaged as ‘progress.’ You will see breakfast cereals with cartoon mascots, fruit drinks that are mostly sugar and colour, and snacks promising energy and happiness in bright fonts.
Even products loaded with salt and unhealthy fats often wear a health halo labeled as fortified or natural, while the real nutritional risk is hidden in tiny print on the back. This is not just a consumer inconvenience; it is a public health blind spot. Ghana is living through a silent surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
These conditions quietly drain household income and steal productive years. According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, NCDs are now responsible for nearly 45 per cent of all deaths in Ghana.
We cannot build a healthy nation on a food environment designed to confuse people at the point of purchase. Ghana must mandate simple front-of-pack warning labels (FOPWL) on high-sugar, high-salt, and high-fat packaged foods because consumers deserve truth at a glance, and industry must be pushed to reformulate.
Why Back-of-Pack Labels Are Not Enough
In theory, consumers can read nutrition panels. In reality, most Ghanaians shop under pressure, limited time, rising prices, and children tugging at their sleeves. The back label is a relic that requires a high cognitive load to interpret—essentially, the seller knows what is inside, but the buyer cannot easily tell.
This ‘information asymmetry’ is not fair. It is not consumer choice when the information needed to choose well is deliberately difficult to find.
Simple warning labels like the black octagons used in the Chilean Model act as a ‘stop-and-think’ nudge. They do not ban products but they simply tell the truth so people can decide.
Reshaping Our Food Environment
A generation ago, Ghana’s meals were mostly home-prepared, like kenkey and banku with soups and stews. Today, ultra-processed foods have become the norm, especially in urban areas. Children are growing up with sugary drinks and salty snacks as everyday items, not occasional treats.
If Ghana is serious about prevention, we must act where decisions are made—thus, the shelf. Warning labels protect parents from sugar traps and pressure the market to improve. When warning labels are mandatory, manufacturers start to compete to make healthier recipes to avoid the stigma of the label.
Addressing the Pushback
Industry will argue that labels create fear or that education alone is enough. However, health education is slow; labels work immediately. While the informal street food sector is a challenge, regulating pre-packaged goods is the practical starting point because the supply chain is traceable. We cannot wait until the whole system is perfect; we must start where action is feasible.
A 2026 Implementation Roadmap for Ghana
To move from talk to action, Ghana needs this 5-step plan:
- Issue mandatory regulation: The Ministry of Health, Food and Drug Authority (FDA), and Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) must define the label format and nutrient thresholds for all pre-packaged foods.
- Simple, bold symbols: Use plain language and clear symbols, such as “HIGH IN SUGAR,” designed for busy families, not experts.
- Transparent thresholds: Adopt technically defensible standards adapted to the Ghanaian diet.
- Transition and enforce: Provide a 12–18 month period for manufacturers to reformulate, followed by firm enforcement at ports and retail centers.
- National literacy campaign: The Ghana Health Service must pair labels with public messages explaining why high salt or sugar increases disease risk.
Conclusion: Truth Is Not a Luxury
Prevention is cheaper than treatment. A warning label costs little compared to the price of dialysis, stroke rehabilitation, or lifelong diabetes complications. A black octagon on a box of biscuits is more than a label; it is a shield for the health of all Ghanaians. It is time to put the truth where we can see it, right on the front.
By Abigail Amoah Sarfo
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Natives of the Kenkey Kingdom were mad with joy. They were still recovering from the hangover of the kingdom’s loss of the African Cup when their spirits were rekindled. Their great warrior, Zoom Zoom, stormed Melbourne and made sure that every Australian refused food. And that was after he had drawn contour lines on the face of their idol, Jeff Fenech.
Not only did the terrible warrior transform Old Boy Jeff’s face into a contour map useful for geography lessons, but he also accomplished the feat of retaining the much-envied super-kenkeyweight title against all odds. The warrior had not been eating hot kenkey for nothing.
The Fight Against Fenech
When Jeff Fenech bit the dust in the eighth round, I was tempted to consider if Adanko Deka could not have faced him in any twelve-rounder, title or non-title bout. Adanko has improved tremendously, and soon he would be facing Pernell Whitaker.
Sincerely, I was pessimistic about Azumah’s man, who the last time took him through twelve grueling rounds of rough boxing. I expressed my fears to my colleague Christian Abbew, alias Gbonyo, who surprisingly had total confidence that the Australian brawler would fall, predictably in Round Five.
Gbonyo gave reasons for his contention, all of which I counteracted using the age factor. Fact is, I didn’t know that contrary to the laws of nature, Azumah was all the time growing younger.
When Fenech fell briefly in round one, I asked my brother whether it was the same Fenech that fought Azumah in Las Vegas. Sure, it was the same Fenech, all out to beat Azumah before his countrymen.
But the African Professor had no intention of making the Australian a hero. As he spun round the desperate Aussie, dancing and stinging out his jabs, it was not too long before I realized that the end was near.
The Eighth Round Showdown
Two minutes into the eighth round, the African ring-master proved to the whole world that he was a true son of Bukom. He himself was cornered, but like the tough nut he is, he managed to break free before overwhelming the panting Australian with several blows that made him crash headlong.
Moments after, the referee, expressing fatherly sympathy, stopped the fight to prevent an obituary. After the ordeal, Fenech’s fairly handsome face was full of newly constructed hills, valleys, ox-bow lakes—whatever. I noticed that his nose was very tired and had a miniature volcano sitting restlessly on it. Obviously, Jeff’s wife will have to nurse that nose back to its normal shape—but I’d advise her not to use iodine, otherwise her dear husband will wail like a banshee.
Reflections on Boxing
Because Mohammed Ali was the kind of boxer kids liked, many school-going kids often entertained the wish of becoming like him. I remember one day when I told my father I wanted to become a boxer, and he advised me to first complete my education to the highest level. Then, if I decided to become a boxer and was knocked out a couple of times, I’d fall back on my degrees and make a living.
Boxing used to be interesting when bouts were fought more with the mouth and tongue than with gloves. You had to brag well, psychologically belittling your opponent before beating him up physically. Mohammed Ali became a very successful pugilist because he also managed to become a poet. He often blew his horn across America, calling himself the “pretty boxer” and opponents like Joe Frazier “the gorilla.”
Ali made a living fighting hard fists like Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Jerry Quarry, George Foreman, Leon Spinks, and Trevor Berbick. Twice he came back from retirement to fight just for money. It was Larry Holmes who finally pensioned him, and since then the great Ali has never been himself.
The Path Ahead for Azumah
When Azumah nailed Jeff Fenech on the cross and barked almost immediately that he was after the head of Pernell Whitaker, I was happy but concerned. I would have been happier if he had announced his resignation there and then—he would have been more of a hero. Beating Fenech in Australia is more newsworthy than facing Whitaker in the States.
With Whitaker, it might be a little difficult. The “Sweet Pea” is agile, has a crooked body like a snake with diarrhea, and stands awkwardly as a southpaw. He is known for having the fastest pair of fists and the rare ability to dodge punches no matter how close they may be.
Much as I do not doubt that Azumah can take his title, I also don’t want him to retire beaten. I want him to retire as a hero and live a fuller, healthy life.
As Azumah himself said after dishing Fenech, he is now a professor and has something to show for it. Like a true professor, I think it is time he resigned and took up training young talents who could draw inspiration from him and become like him in the future.
Closing Thoughts
I must say that although ageing boxers like Larry Holmes and George Foreman are making a name for themselves, boxing is not like the Civil Service, where you can even change your age and retire at 74. Zoom Zoom has delighted the hearts of the natives, and Sikaman will forever hold him in high esteem—but only when he retires as a hero.
This article was first published on Saturday, March 7, 1992.
