The Savanna Regional Minister, Mr Saeed Muhazu Jibril, has called on business men who are into gold mining and cement production to invest in the region, because it has large deposits of gold and clinker.
According to Mr Jibril, tapping into these resources will help reduce the prices of commodities such as cement, which are being sold at high prices in the country.
“Let me say that Savanna region is welcoming all investors. We have deposits of gold, large deposits of gold, clinker…
“If we make good use of what we have here, I think prices of very important commodities will go down. Savanna region is calling on all investors who are interested …”
The Regional Minister made the call when he took his turn to speak at the State of the Region report, a program put together by the Ministry of Information to enable Ghanaians have a fair idea of developments in the various regions in Ghana.
Throwing more light on the availability of clinker in the region, Mr Jibril said the material is in huge deposit, to the extent that some are being exported to Burkina Faso and hence, called on the business community to invest in the region.
Aside mining and cement production, the minister also made mention of the availability of arable land in the region. He noted that rice, maize, yam, sugarcane and few other crops grow very well in the region and hence, called on people to take advantage and delve into the production of some of these crops in the region.
Aware of the difficulties some businesses go through in acquiring land to set up plants, Mr Jibril indicated that land is not a problem in the Savanna region.
He said the chiefs and leaders in the region will ensure that business men acquire lands for free to enable them establish and operate their plants, so that their investments can help develop the region.
“So we are telling all business men to come and talk to the chiefs, land is for free in Savanna region. There are not going to be any problems if you want to invest. We will personally lead you to have a smooth investment program in Savanna region,” Mr Jibril said.
Not oblivious of the level of insecurity in Northern Ghana, which usually deters people from investing, the Regional Minister noted that the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) is working its socks off to maintain peace and security in the community.
“Since the region was created we have had our own REGSEC and we have tried to maintain peace and security for people to go about their work, as they should,” he indicated.
He alluded to the fact that there are few inter-regional disputes over land/boundaries, but said measures are being put in place to ensure that such boundary issues are resolved.
Road infrastructure development is one of the key areas that the Minister didn’t leave out in his bid to woo investors into the region.
Mr Jibril spoke about how the Akufo-Addo administration has embarked on road development in the region and assured investors not to worry about the road network.
The Minister also took time to speak about the gains the region has made in education, since he assumed office in 2019.
According to the Minister, the region always places last in the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination, but that story has now changed.
He noted that the region has moved from obtaining 2.44% pass in the WASSCE in 2019 to 42.49% pass.
He attributed this to the stringent and disciplinary measures he instituted at the various district education offices.
