Untold stories of Akosombo Dam
Nana Oteaku Amani shifts uneasily in his seat, a slight frown on his face as he scans the dusty Apaaso Resettlement Community landscape.
As some sort of a community/traditional leader here - he is Asare III - he is worried over the plight of the neighbourhood of about 800 people, created via a resettlement programme involving former settlers of the land where the imposing Akosmbo Dam now sits.
There had been a meeting of elders some hours earlier, where the numerous challenges facing the town were re-echoed. As it is usually the case after such gathering, he is left in a state of depression. Today however, his despair is mixed with nostalgia.
"Before we were brought here, we lived behind where the dam now is. We had our farmlands then and some families had about four or five houses. But most families were relocated to single rooms. Because of this, those that can afford have relocated to places like Accra and Kumasi.
"Initially, each family got a parcel of land to farm so as to be able to earn a living, but the land was either taken away or those lucky to still farm were forced to share proceeds from the farm with the host/original settlers," he laments.
According to him, water and sanitation issues are increasingly threatening the health of inhabitants. "We lack drinking water and the houses have no toilets." In fact, the houses given to them were remarkably different from what they previously had.
There are no health facilities, save for an eye clinic courtesy of a private individual initiative. "Life here is terrible. The dam has done nothing good to us. We do not own land anymore so unable to earn a living. Government should come to our aid," pleads the traditional ruler.
Youth unemployment is high and teenage pregnancy and consensual marriage have become the order of the day; the elderly are not exempted in the charade. A resident who pleaded anonymity tells the story of a 65-year-old polygamist and father of 11 children who sleeps around with willing teenage girls.
But 25-year-old Mercy Amoah is fed up and wants a way out. She will soon leave the town in search of greener pasture, she says.
"I don't have a profession. Money is difficult to come by and I am sick and tired of always relying on my boyfriend who is a mechanic for my daily subsistence."
According to her, the single unit accommodation provided for families of five to 10 people were simply no longer suitable for habitation. She wants the authorities to address the situation.
A casual observation was quite revealing: the communities appear to lack adequate toilet facilities, the homes were without electricity despite conspicuous overhead power lines, access roads were barely motorable and basic amenities seem non-existent.
Indeed, inhabitants of resettled communities along the Akosombo and Kpong dams insist that the projects have been a "curse" on their livelihood after 45 years of resettlement.
The chiefs and people of Senchi Apaaso and Adjena Communities contend that their current poor state were as a result of the authorities inability to meet their promise over the years.
The communities which lie about 100 kilometres from Accra with a population of about a 1000 are predominantly farmers, according to Okyeame Gyensti, one of the elders from Senchi Apaaso. They were faced with land problems for farming and lack of major amenities for their wellbeing.
The Okyeame said this during a recent interaction between the community and a group of visiting journalists from 14 West African countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Benin, which formed part of activities during a weeklong regional workshop organised by the Global Water Partnership (GWP) West Africa.
He said that as part of plans to resettle them in 1966 after the completion of the Akosombo Dam in 1965, the authorities promised to compensate them with lands for farming, as well as provide schools, clinics and electricity. But all these, he added, have not been met.
As a result, he says, the youth and some members of the community have migrated to other parts of the country, leaving the elderly to fend for themselves.
The Akosombo Dam was constructed in 1962 and completed in 1965, while the second phase was built between 1969 and 1972 to provide electricity to aid the country's development.
Consequently, 80,000 people from 738 villages were resettled in 52 towns located at sites along the Volta Lake.
Akosombo Dam spokesperson, Mrs. Rhoda Arthur, submits that the Volta River Authority (VRA) will always work with the people to have issues resolved amicably.
"The construction of amenities and compensations (to affected persons) will be paid regularly as their rights demand," she emphasised, adding that a Trust Fund had been established to cater for their needs."
Countering complaints and allegations made by the resettlement community dwellers, VRA estate manager, Mr. Emmanuel Martey, says that the authority will not renege on its social responsibilities as, according to him, "we always have the people at heart."
He went on: "We will not spoon-feed these communities forever. Residents should learn to provide for themselves. These towns are no different from other towns in Ghana. To make life meaningful for these communities, medical facilities are regularly made available via boats equipped as a clinic. Schools, toilets and other amenities are also being provided."
Martey's optimism notwithstanding, the VRA, it appears, has not quite created the "Promised Land" for Apaaso and other resettlement communities. Okyeame Gyenti says: "How I wish the dam was never built. Oh, I wish... We have lost everything."
An earth dam - comprising rocks, clay and sand - Akosombo Dam was built at the cost of $196 million. Australian engineer Albert Kinston had in 1915 discovered the hydro-electric potential of the river at that particular site.
Former Prime Minister, the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, had braved all odds to seek funding for the execution of the project as well as acquire the site by convincing the original settlers to give up their land.
Patrick Baidoo
Source: Public Agenda