Minister says 70% of hydrocarbon deposits in northern belt located in Savannah Region
The Savannah Region has 70 per cent of the hydrocarbon deposits in the northern belt for crude oil exploitation.
The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is currently exploring ways to tap the hydrocarbon deposits in the Region for petroleum production.
The Region also has large deposits of gold, especially in the western side; large deposits of clinker in Buipe for cement production, granite and 100,000 hectares of fertile land for agricultural production.
The Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) would, therefore, create an enabling environment for investors and help them to secure land for investments.
Mr Muhazu Saeed Jibril, the Savannah Regional Minister, made this known during a media encounter in Accra on Sunday dubbed: ” The Minister’s Press Briefing on the State of the Regional Reports”.
The Minister said the RCC would explore the manufacturing, mining, agricultural and tourism potentials of the Region through public-private partnerships to accelerate the growth of the local economy for job creation and eradicate poverty.
He highlighted key agricultural, health, road and educational infrastructure as well as the Government’s flagship policies and programmes being implemented in the Region.
In all, 80 educational infrastructure projects including classroom blocks and dormitories were ongoing, 37 health projects such as hospitals under Agenda 111, community-based health posts and clinics were under construction and three warehouses for food storage as well as 1,424,526 improved seedlings were distributed to 18,349 farmers in the Region.
Damongo, Salaga and Daboya town roads were also being asphalted while the Ghana Highways Authority and the Feeder Roads Department had been undertaking routine maintenance of urban and feeder roads across the Region.
“We’re putting so much resources and expertise in place to ensure that the Savannah Region is calm and peaceful because, that is the only way we would be appealing enough and can attract investors,” Mr Jibri opined.
“No investor would be attracted to a situation of conflict, violence and insecurity. By extension, no development takes place in a situation of insecurity,” the Minister added.
In that regard, Mr Jibril said the Regional Security Council (RESEC) had been engaging with its counterparts in the Northern Region to resolve land boundary disputes between traditional authorities following the creation of the Region in 2019.
The Minister for instance, mentioned some land and boundary litigations between some traditional authorities; which result in occasional tribal clashes such as Nanton Naa in Nanton District in the Northern Region and Kikpandi Wura in the North East Gonja District of the Savannah Region.
The Wasipewura in the North Gonja District of the Savannah Region and Tolon Naa in the Tolon District of the Northern Region.
“I’m convinced that with peace and unity, the Savannah Region will become a beacon of development for the nation,” Mr Jibril emphasised.
Source: GNA