Post-dam construction and livelihood revitalization of affected communities at Ghana's Bui dam
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Date
2023
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Publisher
Natural Resources Forum
Abstract
Evidence around dam building worldwide has revealed that
the impacts of dam projects can affect the livelihoods of the
project-affected people worse off several years after the dam
is commissioned. Despite six decades of Ghana's dam-building
experience, there is paucity of information on the impact of
new programs implemented during post-dam construction on
local livelihoods. This study filled in the gap by examining
whether the new livelihood enhancement programs introduced by the Bui Power Authority (BPA) at the Bui dam have
revitalized local livelihood activities that had been disrupted by
the dam construction and resettlement processes. Explorative
qualitative data were collected through key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), and field observation in the seven resettled communities at Bui and Jama
Resettlement Townships and in three non-resettled communities at the Bui Dam area, including the host community. Purposive sampling was used to select a total of 130 participants for
the KIIs and FGDs. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis
approach. The results showed that, in general, the new livelihood
support programs in the resettled communities, such as cage
aquaculture production, weaving, and pottery have positively
impacted the socioeconomic livelihood activities of the residents in recent years compared to the period soon after
resettlement. However, low crop yields are due to poor soil fertility, small farmlands, and a lack of appropriate equipment
to fish on the open water, and land compensation delays werereported to be undermining the livelihood revitalization efforts
of the BPA. For effective revitalization of socioeconomic livelihood activities, the new programs should be more inclusive to
cover the elderly, the host community, and possibly the neighboring communities instead of its current tilt toward the youth
and the resettled communities. The findings showed the persistent impacts of dams on local population and highlighted
how livelihood programs could revitalize local socioeconomic
livelihood activities. The study contributed to addressing the
conceptual question on whether it is possible for livelihood
activities of project-affected people to be reconstructed several years after disruption
Description
Research Article
Keywords
dam-induced displacement, impoverishment risk, land compensation