VRA Akosombo Dam Visitor Centre

The VRA Akosombo Dam Visitor Centre is the visitor information point for the Akosombo Dam, also called the Volta Dam, a rock-fill embankment hydroelectric dam operated by the Volta River Authority (VRA) on the Volta River in the Asuogyaman District of Ghana's Eastern Region. The dam was completed in 1965 under Ghana's first President, Kwame Nkrumah, and created Lake Volta, which VRA describes as the world's largest man-made lake by surface area, at 8,502 sq km.

VRA's own brochure records the site's history. The settlement was known as Nkonson-konson-bo, and the location was identified as a future hydro-electric dam site by the Australian geologist Sir Albert Kitson, who had discovered bauxite in Ghana in 1915. The Volta River Project got under way in 1961. The dam is 2,200 ft long along its crest and 1,200 ft wide at the river bed, with a maximum height from bedrock of 374 ft; a saddle dam was built to check overflow. The six-unit powerhouse on the west bank had an installed capacity of 912 MW, with a retrofit expected to raise it to 1,020 MW, and twin spillways on the east bank each comprise six 38 x 45 ft steel gates.

For visitors, the dam is experienced through guided tours conducted by VRA, public viewing areas with panoramic views of the dam, the Volta River and the surrounding Akwapim-Togo hills, and boat cruises on Lake Volta. VRA's brochure describes the MV Dodi Princess leisure cruise to Dodi Island on Sundays and public holidays, and states that thousands of visitors arrive each year for guided tours conducted throughout the week.

The township of Akosombo lies about 100 km north-east of Accra and spreads over more than 26 sq km through valleys and hilltops, reached by a first-class asphalt road passing by the harbour city of Tema. The dam sits in the Volta River's gorge where the river cleaves the Akwapim-Togo range, 68 miles from the river's estuary. The main approach passes Akosombo Textiles Limited and the VRA hospital before descending into a valley to Community Two, the commercial and business area with postal, telecom, banking, police and fire services; Community One is mostly residential and holds most VRA administrative offices, with the dam coming into view on the uphill road.

Entry to operational areas inside the power station requires advance approval with security clearance. Further information about Akosombo may be obtained from the Akosombo Reception Centre, P.O. Box 77, Akosombo.