THE AKOSOMBO DAM.( THE LARGEST MAN -MADE LAKE)

                                                   THE AKOSOMBO DAM

        The first thing to do upon arriving at the Akosombo Township is to look for the Dam site, the educational center where schools, companies and institutions visit to learn the history of the Dam and have fun, Akosombo is located in Akwamuland of the Eastern Region of Ghana. Legend has it that the name “Akosombo” was derived from an Akan word “Nkonson-konson-bo” meaning a chain of rocks. And it is not surprising that visitors to Akosombo will find the township surrounded by mountains that virtually form a chain around the township. . The town is located north east of the capital, Accra. The river on which the dam is built can be described as a conglomerate of three rivers; the Black, White and Red Voltas.

                                                

Akosombo bridge

For many centuries the Akwamus primary used the river for transport and fishing until that changed in 1915. Upon the discovery of bauxite in the Gold Coast in 1915 by Sir Kitson, an Australian geologist, it was realized that to start any meaningful bauxite industry in Ghana, there was the need to look for an abundant and cheap source of power. Upon careful research of the country, it was concluded that the gorge south of Adena would be the ideal location for the siting of a hydro-electric dam since the drop in the gorge provided the perfect gradient.

                                            

                                              

The project did not start immediately until after independence in 1957 (although plans for its development were drawn in 1940) when Ghana’s first president Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in his quest to push forward his agenda of industrialization of Ghana pushed for the construction of the dam. He implemented the Volta River project which not only included the dam but the establishment of an aluminum smelter at Tema to make use of the excess power. The contract was awarded to an Italian company Impregilo and work started in 1961 and was completed in 1965.

                                                 

                                                         

The dam is 114 feet high embankment dam built on solid igneous rock basement. It is 2170 feet long and 1210 feet wide. The maximum height from its foundation is 374.00 feet and the height at axis from bedrock is about 364.17 feet. The maximum operating water level is 278 feet and minimum level is 240 feet. The lake formed beyond the dam is about 400 kilometers long and it is the largest man-made lake.

                                         

 Thanks to Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the man who fought for independence for Ghana and has left behind much in our memories, He will forever be reminded for his good work done.