He said the government was currently facing financial challenges just like other countries in the world in mobilising the needed funding to execute the $993 million project.

“I believe the multi-purpose dam project is a project the World Bank can take keen interest in as a development partner by providing the needed support towards its construction," the Vice-President said.

Dr Bawumia was speaking at the launch of the $150 million Gulf of Guinea Northern Regions Social Cohesion (SOCO) project in Bolgatanga last Friday.

The multi-country SOCO project is also being implemented in Togo, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire, where citizens suffer from issues of conflict and violence as a result of happenings in the Sahel region.

Further discussion

Vice-President Bawumia noted that the multi-purpose dam that the government intended to construct was primarily to deal with the impact of climate change, food insecurity and flood control, among others, in the northern part of Ghana.

“I just want to put it on the table that the government will be discussing the project further with the World Bank to provide the required funding so that the project can see the light of day,” Dr Bawumia stated.

He added that the government was committed to the project to achieve the intended purposes, saying “I wish to assure the people that the dam project will be constructed to bring relief to them”.

Importance

The Paramount Chief of the Nangodi Traditional Area, Naba Kosom Asaga Yelzoya II, underscored the importance of the project to the people, and called on the government to ensure that the project was executed.

He said the irrigation component of the project would boost agriculture and improve the lives of farmers within the dam's operational areas.

Naba Yelzoya added that the hydro power aspect of the project would also add on to the nation's power generation and ensure stable power supply for the benefit of Ghanaians.

Project component

The project comprises the construction of a dam with an elevation of 165 metres near the Pwalugu Bridge on the White Volta River, with a maximum reservoir area of 350 square kilometres.

It will also have a powerhouse with two turbines that have 60 megawatts (MW) installed capacity and 16.5MW of firm continuous capacity.

There is also an irrigation scheme consisting of a 12-metre high weir and canal network (main, primary, secondary and tertiary canals) for about 25,000 hectares of land.

Sites empty

During a recent visit by the Daily Graphic to the project sites at Kurugu, Gubeo and Sariba, all in the West Mamprusi Municipality in the North East Region, where all the components of the project are expected to be constructed, no activity was observed almost three years after the sod was cut for work to begin on the project.

The temporarily-fenced camp site set up by the contractor to pave the way for actual works to begin on the project had been closed down, with all heavy duty equipment and other building materials moved out of the site.

Concrete blocks, chippings, gravels and other materials that were initially at the site had all been taken away, with the entire area overgrown with weeds.

Sod-cutting

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of the multi-purpose dam on November 29, 2019, at Pwalugu in the Talensi District in the Upper East Region.