The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, has called on the investor community to partner government to establish a large-scale mining operation in Dollar Power in the Bole District of the Savannah Region.
He said available geological data shows that the Dollar Power enclave is highly mineralised, with huge deposits of gold that make it viable for the establishment of large-scale mining operations.
Dollar Power, formerly known as Sindi Community, is a community along the Ghana – Ivory Coast International Boundary Line in the Savannah Region, and lies about 20km from the District Capital, Bole. Inhabitants of this area were raided by slave traders sometime in 1897, leaving the place uninhabited.
However, in 1928, the colonial Governments of the then Gold Coast and Ivory Coast, established an International Boundary Line between the two countries, with the erection of Boundary Pillars at mutually agreed positions. This Boundary Line was reaffirmed by the two countries in 1973 with the planting of teak trees along the border.
The large deposits of gold in the area, however, attracted people from across both countries, whose activities have led to the destruction of Boundary Pillars and the teak trees. In 2005, a small group of Ghanaians began moving to the area to take advantage of the gold deposits and prevent Ivorians from exploiting the mineral resources.
Currently, there are about 3,000 inhabitants in the area, mainly involved in small-scale mining. The gold deposits in the area have made the people to name parts of the community Dollar Power Obuasi.
Since 2021, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, through the Ghana Boundary Commission, has been working with their counterparts in Ivory Coast to reaffirm the Boundary Lines. The Ministry has, also, been working with the Chiefs and people of the area to regularise their small-scale mining activities.
On Wednesday, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources led a team from the Ministries of Lands and Natural Resources and Roads and Highways to inspect the progress of work on the road and other infrastructure in Dollar Power.
At a durbar with the Chiefs and people of the community, Mr. Jinapor said geological data from the Ghana Geological Survey Authority indicates huge deposits of gold in the area that make it commercially viable for large-scale mining.
He said the traditional notion that gold was found only in the south no longer holds, as large-scale mining operations are currently taking place in the Upper East and Upper West Regions.
According to the Minister, Dollar Power is even more mineralised than some of these areas, and with the right investment, large-scale mining operations can be established to exploit the huge deposits of gold.
Mr. Jinapor said to attract the needed investment into the community, which is currently only accessible by water, the government is constructing a 24km feeder road from Ntereso in the Bole District to Dollar Power, and another 25km feeder road from Sapelliga in the Upper East Region to Dollar Power. He said these constructions being undertaken by the 48 Engineers of the Ghana Armed Forces are far advanced, and would be completed by the middle of this year.
In addition to the construction of the roads, Mr. Jinapor said government is, also, committed to bringing community mining to the area, to regularise the activities of small-scale miners. He directed the Minerals Commission and the Ghana Geological Survey Authority to expedite action on the establishment of a community mining scheme.
The Minister called on the people to support Government to regularise their mining operations, and serve as watchdogs to fish out people in the community engaged in illegal mining, particularly, on river bodies.
The Chief of Dollar Power, Sindiwura Mahama Awudu Abott, speaking through his Secretary, thanked Government for the road construction which will link the community to other parts of the country.
He said the construction has, also, enhanced economic and social activities in the area, and will ensure effective border control when completed.
The Chief, also, thanked Government for the its commitment to establishing a community mining scheme in the area, as well as bringing large-scale mining operations to the community.
He said most of the community members are miners and are willing to work with the government to regularise their activities or work in an established large-scale mine.
He pleaded with the government to construct a bridge over the Black Volta to aid transportation and trade, as well as enhance the safety of community members.
He, also, called on Government to restore the destroyed Boundary Pillars and teak trees to secure the safety of the border and prevent encroachment.