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To
anyone connected with the post-war story of the Volta River
Project, one theme must stand out most clearly - the theme
of perseverance. Essential as independence was to the implementation
of the project, it was essential as the ground for progress:
the actual progress itself still had to be made the long,
hard way. Had there been African unity, of course, the way
would not have been so hard or so exacting. But as it was,
it seemed more than once that, for all its potential merits
and benefits, the Volta River Project was destined to remain
a project-so great were the difficulties, so challenging the
times. The story itself begins in 1949 when the Gold Coast
Government commissioned a British firm of consulting engineers,
Sir William Halcrow and Partners, to examine a proposed power
scheme and report on the wider aspects of the development
of the Volta River Basin in respect of health, navigation
and communications." The resulting report was published
in 1951, but in the meantime the Government had been pursuing
its own lines of investigation. In particular, it had come
to the conclusion that what was needed was a port to serve
Accra and the east, in addition to the expanded port facilities
at Takoradi. Accordingly, when the consultants' report emphasized,
among other things, that a new harbor in the east would be
essential if the Volta River Project were to materialize,
the Government felt that its view in this connection had been
endorsed. Sure enough, within six months preliminary work
had begun on the Habra site at Tema and on the new town of
Tema behind it - but as for the power project itself, many
years still had to pass before it even approached fulfillment.
Thus, the next step came in 1953 when, in accordance with
the Government's promise to the people to examine the possibility
of harnessing the power of the Volta, the Volta River Preparatory
Commission was established under Commander (now Sir Robert)
Jackson. By this time, the Gold Coast had a new Government,
elected in 1951, with an African majority, but by the time
the Preparatory Commission made its report in 1956 the country
was to all intents and purposes self-governing under the leadership
of its Prime Minister, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Even so, with virtual
independence, the fate of the project was still uncertain-and
the need for perseverance paramount. For, though the Commission
found that the project was economically feasible and technically
sound" it involved an eventual investment of over 552
million
cedis. (?230 million). |
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