Inactiveness of BOST Bolgatanga Depot Sparks Concern Over Unemployment and Alleged Corruption
The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) once established its Bolgatanga depot as a strategic export hub, designed to serve landlocked Sahelian countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Beyond its international role, the facility has long provided a secure and localized fuel supply for northern Ghana, reducing the burden of heavy tanker traffic on the nation’s major roads and supporting the local economy. But today, the gates of the Bolgatanga depot remain partially inactive, and the community is feeling the consequences. In an interview with ApexNewsGH, Mr. Sumaila Abubakari, a local fuel dealer who says he worked at the BOST Bolgatanga depot, voiced his concerns about the ongoing closure. According to Mr. Sumaila, some filling station and tanker owners routinely travel to Accra, where, he claims, they bribe top officials to allow them to make their fuel runs from Accra instead of using the Bolgatanga depot for distribution to surrounding districts like Bawku and Navrongo. Mr. Suumaila described the situation with a heavy heart. “The inactivity here is creating a lot of unemployment among the youth in our region. Many families depend on the depot for their livelihoods, drivers, loaders, cleaners, and small businesses all rely on its operations. With the depot closed, people are struggling to make ends meet.” He expressed frustration at watching his community’s economic prospects dwindle while trucks bypass the depot, traveling long distances to Accra unnecessarily. “It’s painful to see. This depot was meant to serve us, create jobs, and make fuel distribution easier, but now it feels like we’ve been forgotten,” he lamented. Meanwhile, efforts by ApexNewsGH to get answers from the BOST regional manager in Bolgatanga were unsuccessful. The manager referred their reporter to the head office in Accra. When ApexNewsGH finally reached officials at the Accra office, they learned that the Bolgatanga depot is currently undergoing an upgrade. For now, the community waits, hoping that the upgrades will bring the Bolgatanga depot back to life, restore local jobs, and reaffirm its importance as both a regional asset and strategic export hub. But until then, frustration and uncertainty linger, as residents wonder when the depot’s gates will once again open for business. Source: Apexnewsgh.com