User:Prince Zagra/sandbox

The Volta Resettlement Project
The major reason  for   constructing   the  Volta   dam   was  to   provide  affordable and cheap  hydro-electric   power,   both  for  an   aluminium  smelter  due to the   exploration of large  bauxite deposits in Ghana  and  for other  industrial and domestic   use,  to   reduce   the  country's   overdependence    on   cocoa. The   history  of   the   main  dam   and   power  project   is   worthy of  study   and can  be  found described   elsewhere, but  the  programme   to resettle   the   people  displaced   by   the  lake   formed  by the  dam  has attracted   at  least as  much   attention. The  exceptional  scale and  difficulty  of the  resettlement  operation,  the   new   methods  devised,  the   permissive  and   peaceful   evacuation, the  new  resettlement towns  and  the rehabilitation  and  development programmes  for  the period  after  evacuation have   all  aroused widespread   interest. This introduction   is  an attempt  to outline  the background  to  the operation,  to  examine some  of  the main  problems  and constraints  which  had  to  be  faced,  and   to   show  how   these   influenced  the   evolution   of  resettlement  policies. The formidable  physical  difficulties of  the  operation can  be  understood from  the  nature of  the  basin that  was  to be   flooded. The dam  was  to be  sited  near the  head  of the  narrow   gorge  where  the  Volta  river  cuts  through  the  Togo   and  Akwapim   ranges,  impounding water  from  a  catchment  of 150,000  square  miles. The   lake   to  be   formed   would  spread   out   over  the   shallow  Volta basin  to  become in  area  the largest  man-made  reservoir in  the  world,  covering   3,275  square miles,  half  the size  of Wales  or  New Jersey,  a  thirtieth of the  surface  of Ghana. Not  only was  the  lake basin  vast,  it was  also  unhealthy. Insect-borne  diseases  were endemic,  with  malaria and  river-blindness  affecting people,   and   trypanosomiasis   affecting cattle. Much of    the basin  was  also not  easy  to reach,  with  difficult terrain  and  vegetation and  with  communications  that were  very  poor by   national   standards. Although   the  Volta  river   had   in  the   past  carried trade  in  slaves, salt  and  other goods,  it  was broken  by  rapids and  had  not developed  into  a major  modern  commercial  artery. Few   roads penetrated   the  thick  tropical   rain   forests which  covered  the hills  of  the south  and  east, and  there  were only   a  few motorable   tracks  in the  savannah   woodland  of    the  north. The  basin  was in  the  heart of  Ghana;  but, with  the  exception of  the  main road  to  Kete Krachi  (anyway  to  be  cut by  the  lake), it  was  isolated, and  skirted  by  the  principal lines  of  communication. The problems  of resettlement  were further  aggravated  by the  character  and distribution  of  the people  living  within the  flood  basin. There  was  considerable  uncertainty   until   a late   stage   about how  large  the population  was;  and although  the  number eventually  identified,  some 80,000,  was  only a  little  more than  one  per cent  of  the population  of  Ghana, giving  a  population density   much   lower than   the  national  average,   these   people  were   widely   scattered  in   small   communities. Of  some   740   groups, there  was  only one  town  (Kete Krachi)  of  over 4,000  persons,  while  600  groups  had  populations   of  less than   100. There was  unusual  ethnic  and  linguistic  diversity. Akwamu,   Ewe,  Gonja , Krachi,  Krobo  and Kwahu  people  were  among   the   most  common,    but    there  were    also   others,   including    immigrants  from Nigeria  and  Togo. In  one  small area  alone,  Akwamu East,  it  was found  that  eight languages  were  spoken.2  Moreover,   the  people   were   generally  poorer   and   were  less   well-educated   than  was  usual   in Ghana. The   Krobo  cocoa-farmers in  the south were exceptional in their relative prosperity,  but  most of  the  other inhabitants  of  the flood  basin  practised shifting   cultivation   to  achieve   little   more  than   subsistence.