Former Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Ing. Kirk Koffi, is calling for renewed focus on the construction of the proposed Pwalugu Hydroelectric Dam, stressing its potential to address flooding challenges and improve agricultural output in northern Ghana.
In an interview on Channel One TV’s Face to Face with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Tuesday, May 20, Ing. Koffi emphasized the strategic benefits of the Pwalugu project, describing it as vital infrastructure that could transform the country’s energy and food security landscape.
“I think we should be looking at the Pwalugu [dam], because of its importance. We should have our own food basket in this country,” he stated.
He explained that the flooding experienced in parts of the north, especially during spillage from smaller upstream facilities, is due to the region’s flat terrain. Without adequate containment infrastructure, even minimal water releases can cause extensive flooding, displacing communities and damaging farmlands.
“That small facility is producing many grains. When they spill even a very little volume, it flows down to the North, and because the area is a bit flat, you see it flooding.
“It doesn’t even impact much of the inflows into the [Akosombo] lake; it just spreads. When we build the dam [hydropower plant], it will contain the floods,” he added.
The Pwalugu Dam, if completed, is expected to serve as a multipurpose project — providing hydropower, irrigation for farming, and flood control.
