The Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF), one of the groups demanding independence for the western part of the former Togoland, denounces the exploitation of mineral resources on their territory, an act that activists deem illegal.
“ We wish to inform the general public that it is unlawful for any entity in today’s Ghana to start any exploitation of minerals in any enclave of the Trans Volta Togoland/ British Togoland, now Western Togoland. This is because the United Nations Organization (UNO) which mandated Britain to NURTURE the Territory into a fully fledged country placed an embargo on any Estimation or Exploitation of Mineral Resources in the Mandate.”, the group said in press release published on Monday.
According to them, the fact is that in 2014 a group of chiefs and individuals who were described as “VOLTA CHIEFS” confirmed this in a letter they had purportedly written to the United Nations demanding the lifting of the ban on the exploitation of minerals resources of the Western Togoland. The said letter which was published by GNA (14 July 2014), listed many minerals of the land which stretches from Keta in the Volta Region to Bawku in the Upper East Region of today’s Ghana.
“After the so-called demand by the forum to the UNO we never received any news item on the results whether the UNO had responded to their request or not. It will be in the interest of all to have that document or response from UNO published just as the demand was published for the population to know what had happened.”, the press release read.
“ We wish to further reiterate that the Territory of Western Togoland which has, through the maneuvers of Britain, become an entity of today’s Ghana remains an illegal enterprise and confirmation of GENOCIDE by Britain in Western Togoland during the WW1.”
This reaction of the Executive Council of Homeland Study Group Foundation (HSGF) and the leadership of the Western Togoland Governing Council (WTLGovCO) comes, after some reports by Ghana media on August 18 2022 about “Big Boost for iron ore exploitation in Oti Region”, a region that was also in the part belonging to the former Togoland sharing the border with the Gold coast.
According to the reports, “a total of 10 iron ore blocks in the Oti Region have been allocated to selected investors by the Ghana Integrated Iron and Steel Development Corporation (GIISDEC) to undertake geo-science studies.
Bellow is the full statement: