The Reset Agenda of His Excellency President Mahama is a game changer tool for Ghana to change the narrative Socially, Economically, Politically etc thus among others about a Mindset Revolution and national development strategy to change Social, Economic, and Political narrative in Ghana.

Hence, President Mahama is working very hard on that by bringing a paradigm shifts in national developmental issues, among others are the proposed iconic express road from Accra to Kumasi (which will be about massive development al projects especially new hotels, new restaurants, new fuel stations etc about 40 meters along shoulder of the outer lanes or roads, hence more jobs) , the ongoing big push scheme for better roads, the 24-hours Economy Markets in almost all Districts, .

The President has also planned for Ghana to build good Airports in all the Capital Regions. So the Airports for Bolgatanga, Wa, Sunyani are in the pipeline or on the drawing Boards, for execution may be next year.

He also planned to complete most of the Agenda 111 Hospitals, since a hospital is a notable 24-hours Economy machinery. So we should expect good news of a budget of 10 Billion US Dollars for capital projects to be announced in the Budget for the 2027 Financial Year.

Another paradigm shift in the national narrative/issues or developmental matters, is the dream or vision of Presidents of Ghana especially His Excellency President Mahama to decongest Accra and as well as to move the Capital City out of Accra by moving the Headquarters of some of the National Institutions and the Seat of Government out of Accra.

So, the idea of decongesting Accra, is a very good point which besides meeting the Constitutional requirement of Regional Balance in every aspects, it would bring the below benefits to Accra and the new locations.

Benefits to Ghana
Movement of major facilities and Constructions of new ones outside Accra would be of great importance to Accra and the nations, since it would help to decentralize public administrations and thus avoid encroaching on urban (heavily built-up) areas of Accra and thus prevent or reduce the depriving of the natives of Accra for lands for building homes and economic activities especially farming.

Over 400,000 tons of waste is reportedly generated daily by human activities in Accra. So a decongestion of Accra would help reduce the environmental and sanitation problem in Accra and facilitate State of Emergency Management, since Preparedness /simulation exercises and early warning communication and recovery/restoration operations would be easy to be conducted at low cost due a lesser population or with the people residing in well regulated areas thus making it easy for designations of Assembly Points were head counts, could be made as part of accountable process.

The Topography of Accra is a low lying plain area, hence easily prone to flooding even with lighter shower, thus leading to high cost in flood or disaster management. Accra is also a potential candidate for an earthquake disaster, so the act of the continuing addition of more National Institutions in Accra is building security, safety and environmental problems, hence social, economic and political risks and by adding more cost to cost of disaster management in Ghana with budgetary constraints for meaningful national developments. So need to find ways to reduce cost on disaster management in Accra cannot be over emphasized.

It was therefore very disheartening when it was reported that GoldBod intended to build its Corporate Headquarters by ‘encroaching’ (eating into, destroying) one of the national green land space designated as Parks of Garden at Cantonments in Accra as part of a deal for GoldBod to relocate the affected Parks and Garden at the cost of GoldBod..

It would have led to the disturbance of the associated ecological system of flora and fauna. Thanks for the good works of the Workers and environmentalists for the kick against it that forced the abort of the plan to disturb the nation’s effort for beautifying or greening part of the nation to sustain the ecological system or environment, but for the Workers and environmentalists, the GoldBod and some bad officials of Parks and Garden would cause a major harm to the Nation.

GoldBod should have noted the harm being caused to the environment by miners providing the gold for her trading activities, so the Board of GoldBod should be the last to think of disturbing a very good green space in Accra, They should be thinking of adding more Parks of Gardens.

So, the idea that it was going to provide a new site for the affected Park as a replacement is unacceptable by those of us who think that the Safety, Health and Environmental matters should be First as such No Excuse.

So any mining activity in Ghana should factor in or consider reclamation and greening of the mined out area. So, the Posting of reclamation Bond with EPA for rehabilitation and greening or grassing or reforestation should be non-negotiable, which GoldBod, Minerals Commission and EPA must ensure at all times.

Some people may agree with the Board that it sounds very good to Build it Accra, since it makes operational sense, since GoldBod as a national regulator in gold trading, need to allow proximity with the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Minerals Commission, Bank of Ghana, other key financial institutions, proximity to the Airport etc but building it outside Accra could reduce urban pressure and congestion and prevent/ reduce the risk associated with the potential hazards of Accra.

It may also be claimed that GoldBod as a central authority for trading of gold (grading, assaying, buying and the exporting precious minerals, Accra serves as a central hub facilitates for direct interactions with major commercial and regulatory partners and diplomatic missions. But Outside Accra allows close to mining operations thus makes GoldBod as the gold trading regulator to be closer to actual production as such reduces logistical delays for field inspections.

Thanks to the resistance by the very good and enlightened workers of the Parks of Garden, this resulted in GoldBod abandoning the idea to eat into their land. Google for GoldBod abandoned the idea of building Corporate Headquarters at Labone.

It will help the faster development of the new areas of the Headquarters with at least good roads, thus enhance businesses, and facilitate tourism. Thus decongestions of Accra is a very good social and economic model of checking further urbanization of Accra with national projects and thus it will prevent the further depriving of the natives of the region for land for building homes and farming activities. It will create more jobs for the people of the affected new areas. Thus ensure distribution of the population by that brings about the reduction of the migration to Accra.

Many noises were made in the past about why Johannesburg is more developed than say Obuasi though both saw gold mining activities by major mining Companies at the same 19^th Century Johannesburg in 1875 and Obuasi in 1878 or so. The lack of appreciation of this situation motivated retired Major Mohammed Bogobiri to inform his fellow Ghanaians the reason why it so. Google for Retired Mohammed Bogobiri, article on Why Johannesburg is better developed than Obuasi” It was not intentional as some Ghanaians though or think.

This made the regime of President Nana Addo, to be intentional and built the Corporate Headquarters of GNPC in Takoradi. Since Takoradi is the Capital of the Western Region, the Region where Ghana first found petroleum oil in commercial quantities.

Location of GoldBod Corporate Headquarters

For the above and below reasons, the Office of the President should direct the Board of GoldBod to construct the intended Corporate Headquarters, outside Accra and not to add cost to the heavy cost of disaster and waste management.

Gold is found in almost all regions in Ghana, with the Upper East Region and Upper West Region competing with the Ashanti Region, Western Region, Eastern Region, Ahafo Region etc as regions with mining activities of major Mining Companies. So, the Ashanti Region, as the hub or the Middle Belt of Ghana, is the best region to host the Corporate Headquarters.

The Ashanti Region has the second biggest city in Ghana, namely Kumasi with an International Airport facility. Kumasi in the Region is the host of Ghana’s major Science and Technology University as KNUST, host of Legal Education Campuses including that of GIMPA, major hospitals like the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, a lot of private hospitals and a lot of hotels, hence making the Region as the best one to host the Corporate Headquarters.

The Ashanti Region would soon get a Regional Hospital at Sewuah when the road to the Hospital is completed and made effectively operational. It also has many Small Scale Miners with their sub Headquarters in Kumasi, it has a recently commissioned State of the Art Office of the Minerals Commission in Kumasi, it has Bank of Ghana subhead office in Kumasi, thus making it to be the best region to host the Corporate Headquarters.

The Ashanti Region is the host of Ghana’s Second Military Hospital which Retired Major Mohammed Bogobiri recommended should be designated as UN and African Union, AU, ECOWAS as their level 2 Hospital for Emergencies.

So the President of Ghana currently His Excellency President Mahama, a global icon par excellence and the incoming Chairman of AU should lobby with the UN, ECOWAS, World Bank, Africa Union hence African Development Bank, and friendly very rich Arab Countries and our Chinese friends, who are dominating the mining industry in Ghana for funding or grants to complete the Hospital with additional facilities.

Furthermore The Ashanti Region host major mining Companies including AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi, TWN Mine Obuasi, Northern Ashanti Gold Mine, Konongo, Asanko Gold Mine, with the close by Bibiani Gold Mine, host of a lot of financial and commercial institutions , so the Ashanti Region should be the best region to host the GoldBod Headquarters.

Building the Corporate Headquarters at Obuasi or not very far from Obuasi, would meet the dream of Ghanaians to see Obuasi develop closely to Johannesburg. Also the King of the Ashanti Kingdom is ever ready to provide land for developmental projects, which besides changing the landscape, beautification of his proud region will generate more jobs for Ghanaians especially his subjects.

The extraction of oil has seen, the investment of some of revenue from the oil, in a number of physical infrastructures project by Ghana which can be seen filifili by those who can see and touched by a blind person. Aside the investment on Mining Assets by Mining Companies, not much can be touched by a blind man in the affected regions where the mining of gold took/is taking place. So citing of the Corporate Headquarters closer to the Mining towns will be the appropriate thing in the Reset Agenda.