Ghana Air Force to establish Base at Jogboi to protect Bui Dam

The Ghana Air Force is to establish an Air Force Base at Jogboi near Bamboi in the Savannah Region to provide air support in combating security threats and facilitate logistics to safeguard the Bui Hydro Dam. 

Expected to start in about three months, the project forms part of a broader strategic effort to combat illegal mining, popularly known as "galamsey", and to strengthen aerial security operations in Ghana’s northern corridor.

Once it begins, the first phase, which includes an operational airfield, is expected to be completed within two years, while the entire development will take five years.

The Commander of the Tactical Air Command at Bui of the Ghana Air Force, Air Commodore Kwabena Kissiedu Manukure-Atiemo, made the announcement last Monday during the visit of the Ghana Air Force Commander, Air Vice Marshal Patrick Agyen Frimpong, to the proposed project site and the Bui Power Authority (BPA), as part of his maiden working visit to the area.

He said the initiative reflected Ghana’s renewed commitment to combating illegal mining and protecting public investments.

The visit aimed to strengthen inter-agency collaboration amid increasing security threats, including illegal mining along the Black Volta, violent extremism from the Sahel and encroachment by nomadic cattle.

The proposed Air Force Base aims to perform various security and operational roles, including strengthening the protection of the Bui Dam and its forest reserve, which continue to face illegal mining and encroachment.

Community cooperation

Air Commodore Manukure-Atiemo called for community cooperation to accelerate the completion of the air base and boost economic activity in the country's central belt.

“We urge the chiefs and residents of Jogboi and Bamboi to give their full support, as this initiative will bring security and development to the area.”

“This air base is not just for the military, it’s a lifeline for our energy infrastructure and national defence," he stated.

Threat to Bui Dam

The Safety and Security Advisor at the BPA, Major Francis Kwame Ampobi, stressed the increasing threat of illegal mining activities near the Bui reservoir.

Despite multiple security interventions, including the deployment of a joint task force comprising the military, navy, police, immigration service, and dame and wildlife officers, illegal miners continue to penetrate protected areas.

“We recently seized 91 chanfang machines, 58 water pumps and even 13 bags of rice from illegal miners operating in communities such as Bawlay, Elder Korgbe and MTN,” he disclosed.

Major Ampobi said even after they destroyed their equipment, the miners still returned, saying, "It’s an ongoing battle.”

He explained that the miners had blocked access to the dam’s intake point.

“If we don’t act quickly, the consequences for the reservoir and its power generation capacity could be severe,” he warned.

Security threat

The acting Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Engineering, Operations and Technical at the BPA, Samuel Nimako Boateng, said mining near the Black Volta could reduce the volume of water in the Bui reservoir.

He explained that the menace threatened the long-term viability of their renewable energy systems.

When completed, Mr Nimako-Boateng expressed confidence that the Air Force Base would help halt the galamsey activities near the Bui Dam.

Writer's email: biiya.ali@graphic.com.gh