Salutations:
- Guest of Honour, Hon Samuel Abu Jinapor
- Rev. Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, Director General of the SEC • H. E. Penny Dennis, Deputy Australian High Commissioner • Neil Herbert, Executive Chairman of Atlantic Lithium & Your Leadership • Mrs Barbara Oteng Gyasi (Chairperson), Mr Martin Ayisi (CEO) and Leadership of Minerals Commission
- Mr. Edward Nana Yaw Koranteng, CEO of MIIF & Leadership • Mrs. Alexandra Amoako Mensah, Chairperson of SAL Consult • Dr. Sulemanu Koney, CEO of Ghana Chamber of Mines • Public Sector and Traditional Leaders
- GSE Council Members
- Leadership of Capital Market Operators
- The Media
- Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction:
Good morning! What a happy day!
On behalf of the Council and entire GSE Team, I warmly welcome you to today’s landmark listing of Atlantic Lithium’s shares on the GSE’s Main Market.
Please join me to appreciate the staff of the Exchange, BlackStar Brokerage, Atlantic Lithium and various Service Providers who have worked very hard, at short notice, to pull off today’s listing ceremony.
Ladies and Gentlemen: A couple of months ago, I delivered a 40-minutes address at Tarkwa as this year’s Distinguished Speaker during the MIIF/UMAT thought leadership event, that would have been perfect to repeat to this captive audience. But alas, 2 of the 5 minutes I’ve been given to address you is already gone !
Distinguished Guests: I acknowledge the contributions of everyone who has made today happen, but I especially want to single out 4 persons in my remaining 3, or is it still 5 minutes:
- A Pioneer, Mrs. Alexandra Amoako-Mensah, our own world-class Geologist, whose research thesis published in 1971 at Leeds University and titled “Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Spodumene Pegmatites with Particular Reference to Spodumene Occurrences at
Saltpond, Ghana’ is credited with influencing the find of lithium deposits at Ewoyaa. Her incredible pioneering life and work must be documented into books and videos for children and young adults!
- Second is our Policy-Makers: notably the Minerals Commission, the Ministry of Lands & Natural Resources and your Leadership. Mr. Martin Ayisi and Team, your foresight and courage in getting the Minerals and Mining (Local Content and Local Participation) Regulations, 2020 passed and enforced, is creating broad local OWNERSHIP & BUILDING WEALTH for Ghanaians.
We salute you and look forward to working with you and all stakeholders to complete the Implementation Guidelines for the Listing of Mineral Rights licence holders on the GSE.
- Third is the Minerals Income & Investment Fund (MIIF) and your Leadership. Prof Douglas Boateng (Chairman), Mr. Edward Koranteng (CEO) and Team, you have positioned MIIF as a powerful and transformational tool of WEALTH CREATION for Ghanaians using the GSE! Your investments in Atlantic Lithium (US$40m), Asante Gold (US$40m), Injaro, Electrochem (US$30m), etc. You are showing our institutional investors the way!
The market eagerly anticipates more products from MIIF, especially the gold back ETF, and vehicles for investing in junior mines and exploratory ventures.
- Finally, the Mining Companies and your Suppliers, represented by the Chamber of Mines: I especially congratulate Atlantic Lithium and your Leadership (Neil Herbert, the Executive Chairman), and before you, Asante Gold, for your commitment to this listing.
Permit me to use Neil Herbert’s own powerful words in an interview last week. He said, ‘Our listing on the Ghana Stock Exchange presents an opportunity for Ghanaians (funds through to individuals) to invest in the company and the resource, and the listing is also another way
everyone (international investors) can invest in Atlantic Lithium and Ghana.
We look forward to working with Atlantic for a follow-on offering where the company raises capital by selling shares to Ghanaian investors as you build out the mine.
For the remaining operators, especially those that are listed on other markets but not in Ghana, all we ask for is an opportunity for Ghanaians to take part in your capital raises and trade in your shares on the GSE. All we ask for is an opportunity to Build Domestic Capacity & Wealth.
Before I take my seat, Permit me to share a few developments at the Exchange with you: the GSE Composite Index was up 17.79% at the end of April 2024, whilst market capitalisation crossed the GHS80 billion mark for the first time ever. Atlantic Lithium’s listing today will take this higher.
On the Fixed Income Market, volume traded grew to 51.88 billion, 70.27% more than was traded in the same period last year. We launched a new Commercial Paper market just this Friday, to broaden the products on offer.
Corporate issuances are looking up: Kasapreko Plc, Letshego Ghana and IZWE have raised GHS275 million in debt capital so far. Other companies plan to raise over GHS1 billion on the Equities market this year.
The Exchange commits to drive a pipeline of innovative solutions and engage with all stakeholders to build our common vision: a vibrant capital market that’s relevant Ghana’s economy.
Ladies and Gentlemen, when I spoke in Tarkwa a couple of months ago, I told the audience that:
There’s a STONE sitting on my Office Desk. I got this stone from Atlantic Lithium when I visited their site last year – it contains lithium spodumene. This stone serves as a daily reminder to me that OWNERSHIP builds WEALTH.
Here is my Stone!
Get Yours on the Ghana Stock Exchange!
Thank you for being here with us today!
YEN ARA Y’ÁSAASE NI!
