The Overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Abukari Mahama II is upbeat about the facelift the Northern Region is about to witness as the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) inches closer to drilling an oil and gas well in the Voltaian Basin next year.

According to the Yaa Naa, upon the successful find of oil and gas, the Northern Region could become a hub for petroleum production attracting business and investment from all over the world.

“The prospect of what your successful activities [in the Voltaian Basin] mean to this region and Ghana is not lost on us and remains the basis of our continuous backing of your efforts to ensure that the natural resources are well harnessed to support developmental activities in host communities and beyond.”

The overlord of Dagbon was speaking during a courtesy call by the Deputy Minister of Energy, Herbert Krampah and management of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation led by the CEO, Opoku-Ahweneeh Danquah.

The delegation is in the Northern Region to gather firsthand information on the progress of seismic work underway there to find hydrocarbons in commercial quantities. The Voltaian Basin spans about 460 communities in 13 MMDAs; 10 of which are in the Northern Region with Three others located in the Savanna region.

The visit was necessitated by the need to thank the Yaa Naa and the chiefs and people of the region for their continuous support in providing a conducive environment necessary to advancing the activities of prospecting for hydrocarbons in the onshore sedimentary basin of the Voltaian area.

The Deputy Minister of Energy, Herbert Krampa, on his part, extended government’s message of appreciation to the overload of Dagbon for his unwavering commitment from the onset when plans of the project were first brought to his attention and assured that success on the project will impact positively on the development of the region.

“You have been instrumental in our success so far and our mission here is to consolidate our collaboration by seeking further consultations for the next phase of the project which promises to lead us to a successful discovery and its attendant gains,” he concluded.

The GNPC boss, O-A Danquah recounted the Yaa Naa’s instrumental role in ensuring that local and stakeholder conditions were right for the successful commencement of work to discover Ghana’s hydrocarbon potential onshore, an effort in furtherance of the Corporation’s quest for commercial operatorship of its oil and gas resources.

“As the Yoo Naa (Chief of Savelugu), you first received us [GNPC] in your land in 2017 and on our mission to obtain the greatest possible benefits from the development of Ghana’s petroleum resources and we are grateful for the harmonious relationship which has been sustained since then.”

He used the opportunity to court further support for GNPC’s continuous work in the area highlighting the enormous windfall of opportunities the region stands to gain with the successful drilling of wells in the Voltaian.

O-A Danquah confirmed that interim outcomes from the tremendous amount of work done on the project so far, offer enough impetus to continue with prospecting activities. “We are likely to begin drilling of the first well on your land in 2024 and success at this will see the Northern Region emerge as a stellar area of development in Ghana and open it up to the rest of the world with opportunities for business and growth.”

It is worthy of note that the successful completion of the previous phase paved the way for the current activity and this has pushed GNPC closer to its quest of achieving the goal of drilling a well by the first quarter of 2024 as contained in its roadmap.