The youth of the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Municipality (BAB) are increasingly voicing frustration over what they describe as limited opportunities to benefit from the economic activities taking place in their own communities.
For many of these young people, the question is simple but troubling: if BAB is blessed with gold, bauxite, cocoa and timber, why are they still struggling to find decent jobs and sustainable opportunities?
Their concerns go beyond employment. They are seeking access to skills training, business opportunities, entrepreneurship support and other avenues that can help them build independent and productive lives. They believe that the wealth generated from their ancestral lands should translate into tangible opportunities for the people who live there.
BAB is undoubtedly endowed with valuable natural resources. Gold mining has been a major economic activity for decades, while bauxite mining at Awaso has also contributed to the municipality’s resource economy. Cocoa farming supports thousands of households, and timber remains part of the area’s economic history.
Yet, despite this resource wealth, poverty and underdevelopment remain visible in several communities. Poor roads, inadequate social infrastructure, limited employment opportunities and other development challenges continue to affect residents.
The frustration is particularly significant among the youth. They want to know whether qualified indigenes are being given a fair opportunity to compete for jobs and contracts created by the economic activities taking place on their ancestral lands.
This is not a demand for jobs to be handed out solely on the basis of indigene status. Qualification, competence and merit must matter. But recruitment and opportunity-sharing processes must also be transparent, fair and accessible to qualified young people from the communities where these resources are found.
The bigger question is therefore not simply how much wealth BAB generates, but how much of that wealth is improving the lives of its people. Resource extraction should be reflected in better roads, schools, healthcare, potable water, sanitation, employment and opportunities for local businesses.
Mineral royalties and other public revenues associated with natural resources are intended to support development. Citizens therefore deserve transparency about what revenues are received, how they are allocated, which projects they finance and the impact those projects have on communities.
This is not about accusing any particular individual or institution of wrongdoing. It is about accountability, transparency and fairness. When valuable resources are extracted from communities, the people have every right to ask where the benefits are going.
And that brings us to the uncomfortable question: “WHO’S CHOPPING THE ROYALTIES?” The question reflects public frustration and should provoke answers, not silence. What citizens need is transparency—clear information on allocations, expenditures, projects and measurable development outcomes.
BAB cannot continue to be celebrated for its gold, bauxite, cocoa and timber while its people, particularly its youth, continue to cry out for jobs and opportunities. The true measure of resource wealth is not how much is extracted from the soil, but how much it transforms the lives of the people living on the land.
The time has come for municipal authorities, traditional leaders, mining companies, civil society organisations and residents to demand a stronger connection between BAB’s resource wealth and the welfare of its people. A resource-rich municipality should not have poverty as its most visible inheritance.
