Professor Roger Kanton, a Research Scientist at the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) under the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has called on the government to prioritize the construction of a large dam at Kubore in the North East Region.
This proposed dam would be specifically designed to capture and store water released annually from Burkina Faso’s Bagre Dam, which has historically caused significant flooding and damage in northern Ghana.
Prof. Kanton stressed that building a dam along the Kubore River would secure a reliable water supply for many communities in the Northeast and Upper East regions, particularly during the dry season.
He pointed out that the construction of such a dam could transform the region's water management capabilities and boost food production, drawing parallels to Israel’s successful water storage and agricultural practices.
"Israel, despite its limited rainfall, is a leading exporter of high-quality vegetables to Europe and other countries because they have invested in aquifers to store water for agriculture. Meanwhile, we continue to suffer annual destruction from the Bagre Dam spillage without taking effective action," Prof. Kanton remarked.
He further proposed that a multipurpose dam at Pwalugu, complemented by a larger dam at Kubore, could significantly improve water management in the Upper East Region.
Such infrastructure, he argued, would benefit not only the local region but the entire country by enhancing agricultural productivity and resilience against water-related disasters.
Addressing concerns about the costs associated with setting up irrigation schemes—estimated by the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority to be around $40,000 per hectare—Prof. Kanton dismissed the financial burden as negligible in comparison to the government’s other expenditures.
"The amount of money spent on frivolous expenditures by the government makes $40,000 for irrigation schemes seem like nothing but chicken change, as Kennedy Agyapong would say," Prof. Kanton asserted.
He urged the government to reallocate resources towards projects that have long-term benefits for food security and regional development, underscoring the importance of proactive investment in critical infrastructure like the proposed Kubore Dam.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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