Akosombo Dam
Report
By James AinoosonThe Akosombo Dam actually is a dam
which has a very broad and interesting history.
Plans for this dam dated as far as the early 1940's.
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The Adomi
Bridge |
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The Adomi Bridge
Crosses the Acosombo River. It was built
in 1954 by Dorman Long |
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History
In 1949, the then
prime minister of Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the
British Government Invited Sir. William Harrow
& Partners to come and Investigate the
possibility of Constructing a dam over the volta
river to provide power, irrigation and river
transport. When they arrived, they worked for
four months and quickly came out with three
suggestions. They suggested that an aluminium
smelter project should be included this would be
the main source of money to help the government
repay the cost of the dam. The second suggestion
was to site a sea port at Tema to help in the
transporting of materials for the construction of
the dam. Finally they suggested that the dam
should be used to irrigate the Accra Plains.
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The dam was planned to built at a
deep gorge just north of the Ajena island. There
was an existing controversy over using the Ajena
Island. The Dam would cost £54million. The
smelter was to be built at Kpong and would have
initial capacity of 80,000 tonns and ultimate
capacity of 210,000 tonns. It would cost £64million,
an £11million habour at Tema. £26million for
compesation of those affected by the construction
of the dam. The Dam was meant to be a cresent
shapedrock filled dam with sloping core of
impervious clay. It was to containa house of 19
turbines to produce about 500,000 kw. Six months
later the renouwn engenieer Henry J kaiser was
invited. He chose Akasombo as the dam site. His
assistant Gord Gerdes Desinged the dam. It could
produce 1,116,000kw which was about twice that of
William Harrow. The smelter would be at Tema.
Kaiser said the alumina powder was to be imported
to aid in cutting the cost. Work started in 1959
and ended in 1966.
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Akosombo
Dam |
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The Akosombo Dam
was built within 1959 and 1966 |
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FURTHER
READING
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Volta Mans Greatest
Lake By James Moxon.
This Book can be
found at the Aglionby Library of Accra
Academy,
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