Construction of Lake Volta

Lake Volta in Ghana was created by the damming of the Volta River at Akosombo, completed in the mid-1960s, and it is one of the world's largest artificial lakes by surface area. The dam was a project of the first president of independent Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, who wanted hydroelectric power to industrialize the country, notably for an aluminum smelter. The rising water flooded a large area of land and displaced tens of thousands of people, who were resettled in new towns. The lake provides electricity, fishing and water transport, and its shores are home to many communities. Questions were later raised about its effects on health, ecology and the river's lower course.

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