Oti Residents Happy Over Iron Ore Discovery
"As for me my prayer is for the mining to start early so that some of us who have been sitting at home for years without jobs could get some meaningful employment"
Residents of the Oti region are elated about the discovery of Iron Ore in commercial quantities in the region.
Some of the residents who spoke to Ghananewsonline.com.gh whiles on board the pontoon across the Volta lake from Dambai to Kete-Krachi say they are happy because the discovery and subsequent mining of the mineral will open up the region to investors and inturn create job opportunities for the people especially the teaming unemployed youth.
Janet Asantewaa, a chop bar operator in Kete-Krachi said she was hopeful that a lot more people will patronise her popular chop bar as more and more people troop in to the region either in search of jobs or to establish businesses.
Another resident, Kenneth Kumi, who holds an HND in marketing but currently a pupil teacher said “as for me my prayer is for the mining to start early so that some of us who have been sitting at home for years without jobs could get some meaningful employment – it shouldn’t be one of those on paper discoveries,” he said sarcastically.
The Oti regional minister Joshua Makubu, earlier in October this year announced at a press conference in Accra, the discovery of Iron Ore in commercial quantities in the Oti region.
He noted that “what was going to take Ghana from its current state to an industrialised nation has been found in the Oti region” and adviced people to start looking for land in the region.
The mineral was said to have been discovered by the Ghana Integrated Iron Ore Development Corporation in Collaboration with the Geological Services Department in greater quantities in the Guan, Biakoye, Kadjebi, Jasikan and Krachi districts.
By Nelson Ayivor || Ghananewsonline.com.gh
We know that the iron ore deposit has been in the region way back in the 1960s. By then there was an embargo not to exploit the ore after 50 years so what is this cheap story of discovery. Issues of that section of Ghana has not been clarified and it is still under the United Nations declaration. The government should rather do the needful rather than using a recalcitrant nature to do things. I feel so disappoint in this government where well literate officials see the whole country as ignorant fools.