Sumaila Abubakari demands BOST Depot restoration

A well-known and active member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Upper East Region, Sumaila Abubakari, has intensified calls on the government to urgently restore full operations at the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) depot in Bolgatanga.

According to him, the prolonged inactivity of the facility is denying the Upper East Region a major economic opportunity while government continues to spend taxpayers’ money on workers who, he claims, have little or no work to do.

The Bolgatanga BOST Depot was established as a strategic petroleum storage and distribution facility, with the potential to serve northern Ghana and provide an important supply route to landlocked Sahelian countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

The facility also has the potential to reduce the dependence on long-distance fuel transportation by tankers to northern Ghana, thereby easing pressure on major roads while supporting economic activities within the region.

In July 2026, this reporter contacted the BOST headquarters in Accra for clarification on the status of the Bolgatanga depot. The company indicated that the facility had been undergoing an upgrade.

However, Mr. Sumaila says the continued delay has become a source of concern, particularly among residents who believe the facility should have resumed operations by now.

Speaking on the matter, he appealed directly to President John Dramani Mahama and all 15 Members of Parliament in the Upper East Region to take urgent steps to ensure that the depot becomes operational.

“The President and his team, and all the 15 MPs in the Upper East Region, this is the only company we have in Bolga and they stopped work almost two years now,” he stated.

He said residents had repeatedly raised the issue but were yet to see the desired results.

“We fight, fight, fight but nothing is happening. We are begging the President. He should quickly, as possible, let the depot start work,” he stressed.

Mr. Sumaila further expressed concern about workers and other personnel stationed at the facility, including security personnel, customs officers and fire officers.

According to him, these workers report to the facility but have limited activities to engage in because the depot remains inactive.

“All are coming, sitting, looking at the quota and the tanks. We are working almost two years. So we are appealing to the government. You should quickly stand up and then open the depot to start work,” he stressed.

He argued that reopening the depot would have significant economic benefits for the region, particularly by creating a more efficient fuel distribution system for communities in northern Ghana.

Mr. Sumaila also raised concerns about what he described as vested interests surrounding the transportation of petroleum products. He suggested that some stakeholders within the tanker transportation business could be benefiting from the current arrangement because fuel has to be transported over long distances.

“I know the connection between the tanker drivers and tanker owners. They are doing that thing. Because if here is working, they can't get the long journey,” he stated.

He maintained that an operational Bolgatanga depot could supply petroleum products to areas including Navrongo, Bolgatanga, Wa and Bawku, potentially reducing the need for some long-distance tanker movements.

Mr. Sumaila therefore called on all 15 MPs in the Upper East Region to speak collectively on the issue and push for the speedy completion of the depot's upgrade and its return to full operation.

“All the MPs in this region, they should wake up and talk about the company,” he emphasised.

He said the people of the Upper East Region voted massively for the governing NDC and therefore expected their representatives to champion issues that directly affect the region's economic development.

For Mr. Sumaila, the immediate reopening of the Bolgatanga BOST Depot is not merely about the facility itself but about employment, local economic activity and creating better opportunities for families and young people in the region.