The Akosombo Dam is a hydroelectric dam in the Adjena gorge of the Volta River. It is in the southeastern part of Ghana. The construction of the dam flooded part of the Volta River Basin, and led to a subsequent creation of what has become the world’s largest man-made lake (Lake Volta). Covering an area of 8,502 square kilometres (3,283 sq mi), which is about 3.6% of Ghana’s land area, some 80,000 people were affected by the lake as a result of the construction of the dam. A number of the affected communities were resettled and moved onto different lands. In all, 52 towns were resettled by the Volta River Authority (VRA). One of the resettled towns is Adjena
Later in the afternoon, the students visited the resettled Adjena township. Adjena is in the Asuogyaman District of Ghana. Old Adjena used to be where the dam is now and is considered as the most affected by the construction of the dam. Today, Adjena has been resettled and new Adjena is some kilometres from the dam. We visited the resettled town mainly to interact with the people especially the elderly who were at old Adjena before the resettlement. Also, it was a very good opportunity for some of the students writing their group paper on the Akosombo dam as they interacted with the traditional leaders and the elders of the town to get a first hand information on the history of the town, the dam, resettlement and many other issues.
After a long discussion with the people of Adjena, we returned to Lakeside Motel (near Akosombo) to spend the night and prepare to meet other stakeholders the next day.
Watch out for updates on Day 2