May 31, 2025 As International Environment Day approaches, a cross-section of residents in the Jomoro Municipality have appealed to the government to pay closer attention to the Domunli Enclave a vital river body endowed with crude oil and fish stock at Bonyere and its surrounding areas. They believe the enclave offers a significant opportunity for the much-publicized Petroleum Hub Development Project to create more jobs and improve the economic fortunes of people in the Jomoro Municipality in Ghana’s Western Region.
The residents emphasized that all matters related to land acquisition and generational compensation for landowners and affected farmers should be amicably and mutually resolved to pave the way for the project’s implementation.
The $60-billion hub project, which is the largest petroleum hub in West Africa, is expected to create 780,000 direct and indirect jobs for people in the area and across the country.
Thirty years ago, Petro-Canada and the Government of Ghana, under the administration of Jerry John Rawlings, signed an agreement for the exploration of oil in commercial quantities in the Domunli Enclave.
As part of the agreement, Petro-Canada drilled a well in the Domunli Enclave thirty seven (37) years ago. The well was found to be rich in crude oil and was intended to separate immiscible liquids, thus facilitating oil exploration.
Speaking to Nzema Today TV during a tour of Bonyere, the Assembly Member for Bonyere Zongo Banchim, Hon. Samuel Akakyi, called on the government to conclude negotiations with traditional authorities, landowners, affected farmers, and investors to make the Petroleum Hub Development Project a reality.
According to him, the people of the Domunli Enclave and the wider Jomoro Municipality have long anticipated the project. However, the government must engage in proper negotiations with the communities, pay adequate compensation, and ensure that the people of Jomoro are not shortchanged in terms of their livelihoods and the future well-being of the next generation when the project becomes operational.
Hon. Samuel Akakyi urged the government to expedite its engagement with affected communities to ensure that the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) principle in land acquisition is upheld.
This, the Assembly Member noted, will help ensure the smooth commencement of the project.
The Tufuhene of Dixcove in the Ahanta-West Municipality, Nana Tufuhene Arvo an indigene of Bonyere, as well as a farmer and fisherman said their ancestors relied on the Domunli Enclave for their livelihoods. He added that the river embodies the life and spirit of the people of Bonyere and its surrounding areas.
He stated that before oil exploration begins, the government must engage with the communities along the Domunli Enclave and provide them with adequate compensation.
Nana Tufuhene Arvo warned that people in the area would face severe hardship if they were not given employment opportunities within the emerging petroleum hub industry.
A farmer in Bonyere, Mr. Patrick Ekye Honla, confirmed that the course of the Domunli River was once wider but has since been narrowed due to tree encroachment.
He appealed to the government to protect the Domunli Enclave by paying closer attention to the environmental impact on this valuable river.
Mr. Honla also stated that the crude oil from the Domunli Enclave is very thick and reminded President John Dramani Mahama of his campaign promise during the last election to build a petrochemical industry in Jomoro.
Madam Asuaka Amanzule Ebela, a farmer at Bonyere, said the Domunli Enclave serves as a vital source of livelihood for surrounding communities such as Egbazo, Kabenla Suazo, Takinta, Ezinlibo, and Nawule, and has become one of the most prominent rivers in Ghana.
She emphasized that without proper negotiations, it would be difficult for the Petroleum Hub Development Corporation (PHDC), and the government by extension, to begin oil exploration in the area.
Madam Asuaka Amanzule Ebela urged traditional rulers and landowners not to engage in the outright sale of lands earmarked for the project. Instead, she suggested they enter into leasehold agreements with the government so that the land would eventually return to their children and grandchildren after petroleum exploration is complete.
A fisherman at Bonyere, Mr. Daniel Kofi Agyei, told Nzema Today TV that the Domunli Enclave is a natural habitat for fish stock, which serves as the primary source of livelihood for residents in Bonyere and its environs.
He noted that the community has depended on the Domunli Enclave for decades, relying on it for drinking water, fishing, and access to crude oil resources.
Mr. Agyei also called on the government to expedite negotiations on the Petroleum Hub Development Project to help improve their living conditions.
Readers may recall that in August 2024, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced during a sod-cutting ceremony in Jomoro that the government had secured $12 billion for the first phase of the Petroleum Hub Development Project.
The announcement, which quickly went viral, has since left many stakeholders in a state of curiosity, with growing concerns and questions about the whereabouts of the reported $12 billion.
By Kodwo Nyamekeh
