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Akosombo Dam spillage: Vome residents fear potential famine
A flooded portion of the communtiy
Residents of Vome, a farming community in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region and surrounding communities fear the devastating effect of the Akosombo Dam spillage could lead to famine in the area that could spread across other parts of the country.
The area is home to the cultivation of important crops such as cassava, maize, pepper, groundnuts and other staple crops.
And, a large quantity of these crops were destroyed as a result of the spillage that caused similar or even greaterwreckage to other communities along the banks of the river.
Over a month after the exercise to save the Akosombo Dam, Ghana’s largest hydro power generating plant, residents of Vome and its neighbouring communities have been rendered jobless.
They have been robbed of their daily farming activities and are currently surviving on the benevolence of individual donors and organisations.
But of greater concern to the inhabitants of the area, mostly farmers, is a fore seen food shortage to hit the area and its impact on Ghana’s food basket,with cassava and maize especially being one of Ghana’s agricultural mainstay.
Speaking to The Spectator on their behalf by the Assembly Member for the VomeElectoral Area, Mr Gabriel Kwame Wetsi confirmed, that a lot of farm produce like cassava, maize, pepper groundnuts and other staples were destroyed by the flood waters.
To him, the danger lies with the period it might take for the water to recede for farming activities to resume.
“This might lead to famine in some few months because even if the water recedes, it will take about six months to a year for the land to regain its fertility before we can start growing crops,” he said.
“This would obviously create a food shortage in the country because what it means is that the maize, cassava and other staples from this region will not come and would put pressure on those from the other regions,” he said.
Until the water recedes for the farmers to return to their farms, MrWetsi urged the government to support the people in the Vome area and its surrounding towns, since they have all lost their livelihood.
One of the community elders, Dzikpuitor Daniel Kuleke who engaged The Spectator on its tour of the area, said thewater they use for their daily activities was no longer safe for use, explaining that the spillage had washedaway theirplaces of convenience and other properties.
He said the stagnant water in the area were breeding a lot of mosquitoes,pointing out that it was no longer safe to stay outside after 5pm.
He therefore appealed to corporate bodies, individuals and government to come to their aid with drinking water, food items and clothing to help them survive, until they are able to return to their normal lives.
One of the affected victims, Georgina Wetsisaid “I am currently sleeping in someone’s house together with my children. I have lost my home which has six rooms as well as my farm.”
From Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu, Vome
The Diaspora Affairs Office at the Office of the President has hosted a delegation of African diaspora women who are in Ghana ahead of a planned Presidential Conferment of Citizenship ceremony.
The Director of Diaspora Affairs, Kofi Okyere Darko, explained in a Facebook post that the visit was a gesture of appreciation by the delegation to the Government of Ghana for its continued efforts to reconnect Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral homeland.
He indicated that the ceremony, scheduled for next Monday, will officially grant Ghanaian citizenship to members of the delegation as part of the country’s broader engagement with the African diaspora.
The delegation was led by Erica Bennett, Founder of the Diaspora Africa Forum.
According to Mr Okyere Darko, her years of advocacy have played an important role in strengthening ties between Africa and people of African descent living abroad.
He noted that the group’s journey towards citizenship represents not only a legal process but also a cultural and spiritual return to their roots.
Also present at the meeting was Natalie Jackson, an attorney who is also expected to receive Ghanaian citizenship during the ceremony. She works closely with renowned civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Mr Okyere Darko emphasised that Ghana remains committed to strengthening relationships with the African diaspora and promoting unity, identity, and shared heritage among people of African descent worldwide.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
