How To Manage Potential Conflicts Within The Volta Basin To Sustain Hydro Power Generation

Abstract

Approximately 80% of the Volta basin is occupied by Ghana and Burkina Faso and the remaining shared by Mali, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin. The demand for water use in the basin is on the increase; Burkina wishes to increase its irrigation and hydro power generation capacity; Togo and Cote D’Ivoire are equally considering putting up dams for hydroelectric purposes, Ghana relies on inflows from these states for hydroelectric generation, domestic water supplies and other irrigation purposes. In 2005, low inflows from Burkina resulted in power shortages in Ghana and nearly resulted in disagreement between the two states. The spilling of the Bagr dam in Burkina causes series of deaths and destruction of farms in Northern Ghana on yearly basis. This paper seeks to do a legal analysis of Volta Basin Convention in the context of rising multiple uses and how emergency responses and notification of planned measuresare addressed.