A Dam for Africa: Akosombo Stories from Ghana

The Akosombo Dam in Ghana has been a symbol of development and challenges since its construction in the 1960s. A Dam for Africa explores the dam's impact on Ghana, including its effects on the environment, displacement of people, and access to electricity. It also examines the international efforts of the US aluminum industry to benefit from the dam and the local stories of upheaval and devastation in resettlement towns.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 598 pages
Publication date: 02 August 2022
Publisher: Indiana University Press

The Akosombo Dam, constructed in the early 1960s, has been a significant development in Ghana, exemplifying both possibilities and challenges. A Dam for Africa explores the dam's impact on the West African nation, serving as a model for other African countries. The dam includes a large manmade lake, the VALCO aluminum smelter, new cities and towns, a deep-sea harbor, and an electrical grid. On the local level, Akosombo has provided access to electricity for people in urban and industrial areas across southern Ghana. However, it has also inflicted tremendous social and environmental costs. The dam altered the ecology of the Lower Volta, displaced 80,000 people in the Volta Basin, and affected the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians. Stephan Miescher explores four intersecting narratives in A Dam for Africa: Ghanaian debates and aspirations about modernization in the context of decolonization and Cold War; international efforts of the US aluminum industry to benefit from Akosombo through cheap electricity for their VALCO smelter; local stories of upheaval and devastation in resettlement towns; and a nation-wide quest toward electrification and energy justice during times of economic crises, droughts, and climate change.

Weight: 748g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780253059956