GOVERNMENT COMMENDED FOR PWALUGU DAM PROJECT 15th April, 2019

The Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Paulina Patience Abayage has given high marks and strong commendation to the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo-led government for taking concrete steps towards the actualisation of the Pwalugu Multi-Purpose Dam Project. The Upper East Region’s Talensi district with estimated population of 81,194, is the host of this all-important project.

Upper East Reg. Min., Hon. Paulina P. Abayage Speaking at the event

The Regional Minister gave the commendation at a press conference jointly put together by the Volta River Authority [VRA] and the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council to enlighten the media about the works done so far and what was outstanding. The conference also focused on the benefits of the project while the authorities used the opportunity, to solicit suggestions as well as, address questions from the media.  

Hon. Abayage noted that unlike “succeeding administrations that mostly made rhetoric statements about the project in the past”, President Nana Addo’s government had begun “walking the talk” as series of efforts had been initiated indicating a firm foundation on which the Pwalugu Multi-Purpose Dam Project will be constructed. She said for instance, government’s district agricultural modernisation drive coupled with its resolve to fix Ghana’s power and energy shortfalls, are the strongest motivations for ensuring that the Pwalugu project comes on stream.

According to the Regional Minister, the project would start with the power component while studies on other such areas including irrigation and flood control would be added on. She noted that on the successful completion of the project, there will be drastic reduction in the cost of electricity power distribution to the northern sectors of Ghana while industrialisation, modern commercial agricultural and value chain activities as well as the general socio-economic environment in the area, would be given the push ever desired.

She also observed that, the Pwalugu Multi-Purpose Dam will be a vital catalyst in solving the perennial flooding in parts of the region, that lie within the flow-way of the Bagre Dam from upstream Burkina Faso. She disclosed for instance that in 2018 alone, a total of 7,488.94 hectares of farms were destroyed by such floods whilst several tens of livestock were carried away in the waters.

Hon. Abayage however remarked that, the impending groundbreaking ceremony for the actual construction works on the dam, expected to happen towards the end of 2019, was the most-refreshing news to be received by the chiefs and people of her region in recent times. She therefore pledged the full cooperation and support of the region’s chiefs and people to enable the smooth take off and timely completion of the project.

Chief Executive Officer of the VRA, Ing. Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwah in his address stated that, the implementation of the Pwalugu Multi-Purpose Dam Project was to fulfill the President’s commitment in the 2019 State of the Nation Address whilst it falls within the mandate of the VRA to develop the hydro power resources of the Volta Basin. Meanwhile, the project further aims at achieving the VRA’s key objective of providing leadership in climate change to ensure development in a sustainable manner.

Ing. Antwi-Darkwah revealed that the VRA indeed, started works on the Pwalugu Dam in the early nineties when it conducted feasibility studies on potential hydro sites in the White, Black and Oti River Basins. He however disclosed that, the current project activities started in 2013 when the VRA with financial support from Agence Francaise de Development of France and technical assistance from the World Bank.

He revealed that, the latest feasibility studies were completed in 2018 and that, the VRA had now moved into the implementation phase of the project, as Government had secured funding from the Syno-Hydro Arrangement from the Chinese Government for the execution of the project. He estimated that about 300 million US Dollars was required for constructing the dam alone while additional installations and components such as irrigation canals among others will take the figure further up.  

VRA's CEO, Mr. Antwi-Darkwah making a statement at the conf.

Explaining the fine details of the project, Ing. Antwi-Darkwah said the dam will have an elevation of 165M near the Pwalugu Bridge on the White Volta River and with a maximum reservoir area of 350KM²_. The Project will also have a power house consisting of two turbines with 60MW of installed capacity and 16.5MW of firm continuous capacity as well as, a 15KM overhead line for export of power to an existing transmission line. Also attached to the Project, will be an Irrigation Scheme of 12M Heir Weir and canal network for 20,000Ha of land. 

The VRA Boss said his outfit was revising the Environmental and Social Impact Study to take account for the reduction in dam elevation from 170M to 165M so as to identify the precise nature of project impacts including the number of households or people the project will affect. Meanwhile, VRA is also preparing an elaborate Resettlement Action Plan in accordance with international standards so as to ensure that adequate compensations are paid to the affected.