By: John S. Morlu II, CPA
When you enter the Volta Region, you don’t just travel into a geographic zone — you step into a body of water disguised as a region. Everything here flows: life, language, fish, canoes, and stories. Lakes are not just natural reservoirs; they are spiritual borderlines, economic arteries, silent therapists, and sometimes mischievous illusionists that vanish when you need them most.
In this chapter, we dive into the lakes of the Volta Region — with Lake Volta at the center like a royal chief, and numerous smaller lagoons, crater lakes, and wetlands orbiting it like sub-chiefs paying homage.
1. Lake Volta — Africa’s Giant Sleeping on Ghana’s Chest
Let’s start with the celebrity — Lake Volta.
- Title: World’s largest artificial lake by surface area.
- Birth: 1965, after the construction of the Akosombo Dam.
- Length: About 400 km long — if you drive carelessly, you might circle half of Ghana trying to escape it.
- Purpose: Hydroelectric power, fishing, transportation, tourism, dreams, and occasional heartbreak.
Lake Volta is more than water; it’s a nation-builder. Without it, Ghana would be a country with more blackouts than birthdays. But it’s also a giver of livelihoods — fishing communities from Kpando-Torkor to Dzemeni wake up at dawn to chase tilapia and catfish like sunrise is a business partner.
Yet, like every powerful chief, Lake Volta has a darker side.
- Submerged beneath it are 78,000 hectares of forest and over 700 villages, relocated during its creation.
- Its shoreline is home to exploitation concerns like child labor in fishing, an ongoing national issue.
Still, it remains a majestic symbol — a wide mirror that reflects the sky and occasionally scares first-time travelers who think they’re crossing the Atlantic.
2. Lake Bosumtwi? No. Volta Says “I Have My Own.” Meet Lake Avu.
While Lake Bosumtwi (in Ashanti) gets all the crater glory, the Volta Region introduces its own serene counterpart — Avu Lagoon.
- Location: Near Akatsi South District
- Known for: Birdwatching, ecotourism, and communities that glide silently on wooden boats like water monks
- Special residents: Migratory birds, otters, crocodiles, and fishermen with Olympic balancing skills
Lake Avu is peaceful — the kind of place where time moves slowly and even mosquitoes hesitate to bite because the silence demands respect.
3. Lake Togo (Volta Side) — The Border That Floats Between Nations
Okay technically, Lake Togo is in Togo — but like all West African lakes, borders are mostly diplomatic suggestions. Communities near Aflao and Keta feel its presence through connected lagoons and wetland ecosystems. Fishermen from both sides speak water more fluently than English or Ewe.
Lake Togo influences:
- Fishing trade at the border
- Smoked fish commerce linked with Volta markets
- Shared cultural water festivals
It is the aquatic version of ECOWAS — unofficial but functional.
4. The Keta Lagoon — The Lagoon That Wants to be a Lake but Also a Sea
Keta Lagoon is moody.
When it’s calm, it’s a peaceful fishing paradise.
When angry, it reminds the people of Anloga and Keta that water always reclaims what it gives.
- Size: Largest lagoon in Ghana
- Economy: Fishing, salt mining, crab trade
- Drama: Coastal erosion battles, sea intrusion, climate change heartbreaks
- Famous landmark: Fort Prinzenstein, where the lagoon quietly listens to history it never asked to witness
Tourists come here to watch sunsets that look like melted gold. Locals come here to pray the water does not come for their homes again.
5. The Vume-Mafi Wetlands — Hidden watery lungs of the Volta
These wetlands are the quiet siblings in the water family of Volta. They are shallow, marshy, filled with reeds, and full of creatures that prefer not to be on Instagram. They absorb floodwaters like emotional support therapists, making them crucial for environmental stability.
- Great for: Birdwatching, eco-study, calming your soul without spending spa money.
6. The Spiritual Side of Water — Lakes as Shrines & Storytellers
Ewe tradition sees water as living. Lakes are not just lakes; they have personalities, tempers, and protective spirits.
- Certain areas are taboo for women during specific periods.
- Some lakes “reject” particular boats or people.
- Fishermen pour libation before casting nets.
In some communities, the lake is greeted in the morning — because ignoring it is like ignoring your landlord.
7. The Economy — When Lakes Turn Fish Into School Fees
Lakes in the Volta Region fuel:
| Sector | Contribution |
| Fishing | Fresh tilapia, catfish, mudfish |
| Transportation | Canoes, motorboats linking communities |
| Tourism | Cruise rides, eco-lodges, bird safari |
| Trade | Fish markets like Dzemeni awake before dawn |
| Culture | Festivals like Gbidukor & Hogbetsotso often feature water rites |
Children in villages measure success not by height but by fishing net ownership.
8. Water and Tourism — Where Canoes Become Instagram Content
Key travel experiences include:
✅ Volta Lake Volta Cruise (Akosombo to Dodi Island) — where drums, highlife music, and buffet rice meet.
✅ Keta Lagoon Resorts — stylish huts facing sunsets that heal heartbreaks faster than therapy.
✅ Avu Lagoon Ecotours — binoculars, canoe rides, birds with better neck posture than runway models.
✅ Lake Volta houseboat stays — because waking up in the middle of the lake gives full main-character energy.
9. Future Challenges — When Lakes Cry Quietly
| Issue | Impact |
| Climate change | Rising water levels, flooding |
| Illegal fishing | Depleting fish stocks |
| Sand winning | Erosion & ecological imbalance |
| Child labor | Human rights concerns |
| Pollution | Plastics and waste threatening ecosystems |
Ghana must choose: protect the lakes or let them become oversized gutters with memories.
10. Conclusion — Volta’s Lakes Are More Than Water, They Are Life Narratives
In the Volta Region, lakes are not static. They breathe, feed, warn, inspire, and sometimes punish. They are extensions of the people — wide, calm, deep, full of hidden stories. If you truly want to understand Volta, don’t just talk to its people; sit by its lakes at dawn and watch the mist rise like ancient spirits beginning another day.
Because in Volta, water doesn’t just flow — it teaches.
📖 Coming Up Next: Chapter 37: The Hills That Touch the Sky
Author: John S. Morlu II, CPA is the CEO and Chief Strategist of JS Morlu, leads a globally recognized public accounting and management consultancy firm. Under his visionary leadership, JS Morlu has become a pioneer in developing cutting-edge technologies across B2B, B2C, P2P, and B2G verticals. The firm’s groundbreaking innovations include AI-powered reconciliation software (ReckSoft.com), Uber for handymen (Fixaars.com) and advanced cloud accounting solutions (FinovatePro.com), setting new industry standards for efficiency, accuracy, and technological excellence.