Ghana-Akosombo: The largest man-made lake found in Ghana; a place you should visit to see for yourself!

Akosombo-Ghana / NationalTurk – The river Volta is a very important element in the life of Ghanaians. Without it, one may wonder what would have happened in the energy sector of Ghana. Unlike Nigeria, Ghana is able to provide electricity to its major cities, towns and some villages all by the help of the River Volta although there are some minor sources of energy to support.

What makes Akosombo (where the river is located) unique for tourists is the fact that the world’s largest man-made lake which I am describing passes through the town from Burkina Faso, which covers about 8,502 square kilometers (3,283 sq mi), which is 3.6% of Ghana’s land area.

The official name of the lake is Lake Volta which was named after Burkina Faso when the country was known as the Upper Volta in colonial days until it gained independence from the French in 1960 and changed from the Upper Volta to Burkina Faso. The reason being that the source of the lake is from Burkina Faso and it was named after the country in colonial days.

This dam provides Hydro-electricity to Ghana and some neighboring countries making it a very strategic point in the country. The basin is characterized by poor soil, generally of Voltaian sandstone. Annual rainfall averages is between 1,000 and 1,140 millimeters. The most widespread vegetation type is savanna, the woodlands of which, depending on local soil and climatic conditions, may contain such trees as Red Ironwood and Shea.

The basin’s population, principally farmers, is low in density, especially in the central and northwestern with the plains surrounding it making it a beautiful and exciting scene to watch from any angle.

In contrast with the rest of the region are the Afram Plains, located in the southeastern corner of the basin. Here the terrain is low; averaging 60 to 150 meters in elevation, and annual rainfall is between 1,140 and about 1,400 millimeters. Near the Afram River, much of the surrounding countryside is flooded or swampy during the rainy seasons.

Navigation on the Volta River is most convenient since 1964 when the then Ghanaian president (First president) Dr. Kwame Nkrumah ordered the construction of the dam at Akosombo, for the generation of hydro electric power and serves as a potential source for irrigation in the town and its surrounding villages which is reflected in agricultural mechanization agreement signed in the late 1980s to irrigate the Afram Plains. The lake is navigable from Akosombo through Yeji in the middle of the country; a twenty-four-meter ferry was commissioned in 1989 to link the Afram Plains to the west of the lake with the lower Volta region to the east and to the north of Ghana.

Major hotels in the town include the Volta Hotel, the Akosombo Continental Hotel and other guest house designed to meet international standards for visitor and tourists.

Do not be worried about your safety since the place is violence free and highly security service available from the Ghana Navy Forces to protect the dam from unscrupulous people and the people living around.

This is a must see scene for you to make your judgement on this spectacular environment in Ghana!

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa Tourism News

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