Study Team:

Dr. Yaw Opoku-Ankomah
Ms. Louisa Sawyerr
Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu
 

1. Introduction

The creation of Akosombo and Kpong dams in 1964 and 1982 respectively has brought some economic benefits, through generation of hydroelectric energy, to Ghana and neighbouring countries. Adequate energy is critical for the socio-economic development of the country. The benefits, however, came to the country at a high cost as a result of loss of downstream ecosystem functions and livelihoods of the affected communities. The project, Reoptimization and Reoperation of Akosombo and Kpong dams, is meant to address the negative environmental impacts of the current operations by introducing some modification in the downstream flows for livelihoods. This report covers the specification and quantification of the restoration objectives, involving the identification of the major environmental and livelihood issues arising out of the post dams flow regime for redress. The quantification includes the establishment of baseline data on measurable and quantifiable parameters before the current envisaged interventions, to enable comparisons with the status after the interventions.
 

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