The North East Region, situated along the White Volta, remains rich in agricultural potential. Yet, that promise continues to be undermined by geography and climate variability. Since 2008, the annual spillage of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso has transformed the region’s agrarian lifeline into a recurring source of displacement and economic hardship.
Today, flood survivors and experts are calling for an end to political rhetoric and urging a non-partisan commitment to the long-delayed Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam project.
The region’s rural landscape—characterised by rocky terrain and scattered fertile valleys—limits farming to specific areas. Unfortunately, these same areas have become the epicentre of recurring floods. Communities such as Mognore, Wulugu, and Murugu continue to bear the brunt of the devastation.
Climate Pressures Intensify Local Crisis
Recent rainfall patterns between 2022 and 2024 have been among the most erratic on record. For residents, climate change is no longer abstract—it is the lived reality of homes destroyed and livelihoods washed away by the White Volta.
Among those affected is 60-year-old widow Saapog Abanga, one of over 200 farmers who have watched hundreds of acres of crops submerged within hours.
“I’m the Mother and father to my children and so, I do cultivate crops like maize, soya beans and rice with the hope of taking care of the household and the children’s educational needs, but anytime they open the Bagre dam, we are in trouble. All our farms will be destroyed. So, we are pleading with our government to talk to the Bagre Dam authorities to spill now and not during the farming season.”
Yaa Lamisi Ayeebo shares a similar experience:
“my problems are similar to what every farmer here is facing. But the levels of impact in our various households are different because some of us have to come back to the valley here to be able to gather fuelwood and sell it for the upkeep of the children and their education. I’m farming in this valley because I don’t have a choice. The whole area is either rocky or mountainous. We really need help.”
Bagre Dam Spillage and Downstream Impact
The Bagre Dam, completed in 1992 in Burkina Faso, holds approximately 1.7 billion cubic meters of water. It was designed to regulate water flow, generate power for Ouagadougou, and irrigate about 30,000 acres of farmland.
However, increasing climate pressures have pushed the dam beyond its capacity. To safeguard its structural integrity, excess water is frequently spilled—sending large volumes downstream into Ghana and triggering floods.
At Wulugu, 50-year-old Mankuyi Obed, who combines nursing with farming, reflects on the changing pattern:
“We grew up seeing our Fathers farming on these same parcels of land without flood but the moment we inherited them, right from the late 1990s up till now, our farms have been either submerged or completely washed away by floodwater. It really hurts because it impacts our very survival. And so, we need the Pwalugu dam to address this canker.”
Although spillage typically occurs between August and September, affected communities are calling for improved cross-border coordination and predictable schedules to allow early harvesting.
Experts Call for Structural, Not Political, Solutions
Climate and environmental governance expert Professor Asaah Mohammed of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo, argues that emergency responses are no longer sufficient.
University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo.
He insists the solution must be structural and insulated from partisan politics.
“Over the years, there has been a series of attempts to preserve the Volta not only on Ghana’s side, but they also have an office in Burkina Faso called the Volta basin board. Each of the six countries contributes a member and that board oversees the management and utilisation of the Volta.
So, there has been a series of concerns about how Ghana is not serious. Yes, the other five countries like Burkina Faso, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin and Mali are aware but not worried because we are at the downstream so we should have been more serious than the others. But as of now, if you look at the activities of the Volta, even if you just cross Burkina Faso, you can take one of the tributaries and enter Ghana through Sapelga you will be very surprised to see how the river or Nakambe is protected from the Burkina Faso side with trees well planted along the volta and the river is deeper. It is not silted like that of Ghana’s. Why can’t we learn from them?”
The professor attributes Ghana’s recurring floods partly to severe siltation of the White Volta.
“Now if you look at the volumes of water that come in and you talk about perennial flooding, just try to move along the river from Sapelga to the Bawku area you will see that the river is silted (filled with mud). So, it’s not that much excess water that is coming into it but the little that is even entering it will definitely flood because the depths of the White Volta in Ghana’s portion have drastically reduced unlike in the Burkinabe’ side. And it needs very serious siltation. So, these are some of the reasons that we have perennial flooding, the excess water from the Bagre dam.”
He further cautions against blaming Burkina Faso entirely, urging Ghana to take responsibility through proactive measures.
“In time inmemorial the decision to build a dam at Pawlugu has been on the drawing board. It’s just a matter of resources but as a country, if we think we want to control the downstream very well, this is the advantage that we need to take.”
Professor Asaah also criticised past scientific assumptions that discouraged dam construction:
“If you dam more on the river, you are going to reduce the volumes of water to Akosombo, So, there was that kind of lazy scientific work done by some people in the past and successive governments, I don’t know, were convinced with that and didn’t make serious attempts to construct Pwalugu and up to date, Ghana is still doing this dilly-dallying approach to it.”
He emphasised the strategic value of the Pwalugu project: “And so, if you have an empty dam like Pwalugu, you can release the water and then, the water can always be controlled again that’s in scientific work.”
The Case for Pwalugu and River Restoration
Experts identify the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam and desiltation of the White Volta as the most viable long-term solutions. The dam is expected to serve as a buffer—capturing excess spillage, enabling controlled water release, supporting irrigation, and generating hydroelectric power.
Until these long-term interventions are realised, officials from NADMO are left managing recurring emergencies—often advising farmers to harvest prematurely before floods arrive.
Without decisive action, farmers in the North East Region and across northern Ghana will continue to operate at the mercy of an increasingly unpredictable climate, with limited returns on their labour.
This version tightens structure, improves clarity, and preserves the human voice at the heart of the story—while sharpening its policy relevance and national significance.
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