Open Letter: Addressing the Urgent Need for Awaso’s Railway Line, Bibiani township and Roads Infrastructure and Western North Region for Sustainable Development by Dr. Tony Tsina Addai [ President, WENDA GHANA ]
To all Leaders within the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality and Beyond.
As an expert in Strategic Leadership, I feel compelled to draw your attention to a pressing and often overlooked issue that undermines the development potential of Ghana’s Western North Region. Specifically, the critical infrastructure challenges facing Awaso and its surrounding communities. For decades, Awaso has been a vital contributor to Ghana’s economy through its bauxite exports, generating substantial revenue.
Yet, paradoxically, the railway lines that is essential for the efficient transport of these mineral resources remain broken, neglected, and underfunded. Meanwhile, the roads used as makeshift alternatives have suffered severe deterioration, disrupting local transportation, crippling businesses, and eroding the livelihoods of residents.
Furthermore, within this resource-rich municipality, gold mines such as Bibiani and Chirano operate with a glaring disparity; despite their proximity and contribution to the national economy, the local populations benefit minimally. Unemployment remains high, and employment opportunities for locals in these mines are scarce, an injustice that questions the fairness and transparency of our resource management. Why do the very communities that produce Ghana’s wealth remain marginalized and impoverished? What are our leaders doing to rectify this imbalance?
The congested state of Bibiani township exemplifies this neglect. On Fridays, it becomes nearly impossible to navigate the town from the roundabout to the hospital, an indicator of poor urban planning and infrastructural decay. Is this situation acceptable? Or are our leaders truly aware and indifferent? Bibiani is increasingly becoming a no-man’s land, an urgent wake-up call for leadership at all levels.
It is time for the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Chiefs, Member of Parliament (MP), and other stakeholders to wake and prioritize community welfare. The continued neglect of infrastructure and social services risks brewing chaos and unrest in the future. Many can’t see it due to lack of foresight.
This situation raises a fundamental question: Why has the government failed to prioritize the repair of the Awaso railway lines? The revenues generated from bauxite exports could, logically, finance its maintenance and upgrade. Instead, significant public funds are diverted to construct new railway lines elsewhere, lines that contribute less directly to Ghana’s economy, while our leaders sit back unconcerned.
This disconnect between resource wealth and infrastructural investment exposes a lack of strategic foresight and poor resource management. It underscores a failure to leverage our existing assets for sustainable development.
The Economic and Social Costs.
Neglecting the Awaso railway line means that bauxite must be transported by road, further damaging already battered roads and increasing transportation costs. This results in delays, safety hazards, and financial burdens on local businesses and residents. The deterioration of infrastructure hampers economic productivity and diminishes social well-being, perpetuating cycles of poverty and underdevelopment.
Why This Matters Nationally and Globally.
This issue transcends local politics; it is a matter of national importance. Ghana, as a developing nation, cannot afford to squander resources or ignore strategic infrastructure investments that are vital for economic growth. The mismanagement in Awaso exemplifies a broader pattern seen across resource-rich African countries, where wealth generated from natural resources fails to benefit local communities due to shortsighted leadership, corruption, and misallocation of funds.
Globally, this case offers a stark lesson, governments and leaders must prioritize infrastructure maintenance, transparent management of resource revenues, and genuine community engagement. Sustainable development hinges on strategic leadership that ensures resource wealth translates into tangible benefits for all citizens.
Leadership Accountability and Strategic Alignment.
From a strategic leadership perspective, this situation exemplifies a failure to align resource management with infrastructural investment and community development. The government’s focus on building new railway lines at different region without first securing and maintaining existing infrastructure, reflects poor prioritization and planning. Sustainable growth requires optimizing existing assets before expanding or creating new ones.
I speak as an advocate rooted in the principles of effective leadership and strategic development, beyond partisan interests. Moreover, the silence and inaction of local leadership betray their responsibilities as effective leaders. This is because, effective leadership demands active stewardship, advocacy, and accountability. Leaders must speak truth to power and champion policies that uplift their communities and not what we see within the municipality and Western North at large.
Issues about Galamsey in the Western North Region.
Galamsey in the Western North Region is a serious and ongoing threat to our land, water, health, and future. It is alarming to see many videos depicting Chinese and other foreign nationals engaging in illegal mining activities within our lands. But how do they even know about Western North, and how do they manage to access our lands to destroy them?
The reality is that land in our region is under the custodianship of our chiefs, who are the legitimate custodians of the land. So, how do these foreigners and even some local people acquire the land to carry out Galamsey? Are our leaders and authorities doing enough to monitor, regulate, and prevent these illegal activities?
Our Members of Parliament, regional minister, and chiefs must take responsibility. Instead of turning a blind eye, they should act decisively to protect our lands, water bodies, and the health of our people. Galamsey is not just about illegal mining; it is a destructive menace that causes severe environmental degradation, contaminates our water sources, and leads to health crises such as kidney failure and other diseases among our communities.
Many residents are already suffering the consequences, diseases linked directly to the toxic chemicals used in Galamsey, contaminated water sources, and the destruction of farmland and forests. Yet, our leaders seem to have overlooked these dangers, failing to act with the foresight and responsibility required to safeguard our future. It is time for leadership to prioritizes the well-being of the people and the preservation of our environment.
Leaders must wake up, enforce laws against illegal mining, and develop sustainable plans for the future, plans that consider the health, safety, and prosperity of our current and future generations. Let us call upon our leaders to stop turning a blind eye and to take immediate action. Our lands, rivers, and communities deserve protection. We must act now to halt this destructive menace of Galamsey before it is too late.
Western North: A Land of Abundance, Yet a Region in Neglect.
Western North Region is a land of immense potential, yet it suffers from a profound lack of effective leadership and development. Despite being a region rich in natural resources, gold, bauxite, cocoa, timber, and fertile land, our people remain among the poorest in Ghana. This paradox highlights a glaring injustice, how can a region so abundantly endowed with wealth continue to languish in poverty?
How is it possible that an area that contributes significantly to Ghana’s economy is neglected and its resources siphoned away? Our leaders allow the wealth generated from our gold, bauxite, cocoa, and timber to be drained to develop other regions, leaving our people impoverished and marginalized.
This systemic neglect has led to a troubling phenomenon, brain drain, where our talented youth and skilled workers leave Western North in search of better opportunities, because there is nothing here to retain them. The lack of social and infrastructural amenities is glaring, bad roads, dilapidated hospitals, underfunded schools, and a dire absence of basic services.
Our region, which forms the backbone of Ghana’s economy, remains impoverished while its resources are exploited to develop other regions which have nothing yet our leaders are unconcerned.
Our children sit on stones in overcrowded classrooms, with forests of timber just behind their schools, timber that is harvested and exported to generate revenue for the nation and some are used to make tables and chairs for other regions which have no timber why?
Our resources are extracted without meaningful benefit to our communities. The question is, if we are truly Ghanaians, why should our resources be taken away to develop other regions while we remain in poverty and leaders don’t care?
It is time for our leaders to wake up and demand fairness and justice. Our region’s wealth should be a catalyst for its own development, not a source of revenue for others. Leaders must challenge the status quo, advocate for the fair allocation of resources, and implement policies that prioritize the development of Western North.
We cannot and must not accept a situation where our children grow up without proper schools, healthcare, roads etc simply because others benefit from our resources. Western North is a region of untapped potential and great promise. We call on our leaders to rise to the occasion, to stand firm and demand their fair share of national wealth.
It is time to transform this region from a source of raw materials into a hub of progress and prosperity for its people. Our future depends on it. We deserve development, dignity, and opportunity. Let us not wait for another day of neglect, our time to rise but demand justice now.
A Call to Action
The time for complacency is over. The government must urgently review and reallocate infrastructure spending, ensuring that revenue from bauxite exports directly funds the repair and maintenance of the Awaso railway lines. Equally, the damaged roads must be reconstructed to support local economic activities and improve residents’ quality of life.
Local leaders, the Chiefs, MCE, MP, and community advocates, must step forward and advocate fiercely for their municipality. Their role is to hold government accountable, promote transparency, and mobilize community support. Silence and inaction are unacceptable; they undermine trust and hinder progress.
Despite the abundant gold and mineral wealth in Bibiani and Chirano, the local population remains largely unemployed. This disparity raises questions: Do our leaders truly understand their mandate? Or are they merely occupying titles without delivering tangible development?
Conclusion.
It is high time for strategic foresight, accountability, and courageous leadership to transform Awaso, Bibiani and Western North at large from a neglected resource hub into a model of sustainable development. The youth of Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai and the entire Western North Region must rise up, demand better, and hold their leaders accountable because I see no difference across the entire region.
The future of our region depends on our collective action. The neglect of infrastructure and community welfare not only stifles growth but threatens to plunge our communities into chaos if left unaddressed. Let this open letter serve as a wake-up call, and a reminder, that leadership is about service, vision, and responsibility. Ghana’s resource wealth must benefit its people, not just a select few. Together, let us forge a path towards genuine development and prosperity. Thank you.
Dr. Tony Tsina Addai
Strategic Leadership Expert
