Why Ghana Deliberately Flooded 3.5% of Their Land

[@brightBoss]

I am from Ghana and the lake actually runs across my town. However, a few years ago the whole country had to ration electricity with the lights out almost every other day for about 12 hours per day while we still continued to export electricity to neighboring countries even though we couldn't supply our own people, and all that was due to mismanagement . The communities along the lake which had their lands taken still look like they were during the days of my ancestors lol

[@alexterra2626]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 name one video YOU have that is better than rll

[@brightBoss]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 No you aren't

[@alanhonlunli]

More likely because nieghboring countries pay more for the electricity, so your government is willing to cut supply to its own people. They chose short term cash vs long term investing resources into its own people.

[@trappist1-e301]

As a south african I can relate

[@gIozell1]

Do you continue to have unreliable electricity or did they fix the problem?

[@kay7ot644]

As a Ghanaian, still living in Ghana, I'm impressed at the detail in this video. My pain though is, Electricity has always been a problem in Ghana. Ever since Kwame Nkrumah left office decades ago, no other leaders have bothered to forward his vision. A lot has gone wrong. Yes, much of the country has access to electricity, but access is never ever consistent. There have been countless power rationings over decades. And this year, it's bad. Really bad. You practically can't go a day without a power outage for a number of hours. Many Ghanaians at home will find this video a bitter-sweet one, cos' the situation is much negative at home. Thanks for your video, I've learnt so much. And I do hope that we can raise leaders in Ghana who'll make moves to solve our problems.

[@austinsloan1978]

Thank you for your perspective!

[@nenemens]

Where do you live in Ghana at the moment? I live in East Legon in Accra. My power doesn't go off every day. Maybe like once every two weeks at worst. I find it strange that you say you can't go a day without a power outage.

[@Ghanadiaries]

@@nenemens That's some Ghanaians for you, they always have to bad mouth the country.

[@kotaniyumiko]

@@nenemens Well isn't Accra a densely populated area? maybe where you live is closer to a power grid and that might be why you don't have as much power issues

[@nenemens]

@@kotaniyumiko I genuinely want to know where he lives in Ghana so I can find out more about what's happening in his area. In Ghana if an area starts experiencing that kind of daily outages the residents there will make enough noise till it becomes a major issue in the media. I'm asking as a concerned Ghanaian citizen. Also take note that a lot of electricity generating capacity has been added by successive governments after the first president Kwame Nkrumah left office, about half of the generation capacity was added in the last decade alone, such that Ghana has the capacity to generate almost twice the amount of power we use at peak period. The bleak picture he has painted appears to be more sentimental than factual. Peak demand in Ghana is 2,800 MW, whiles total installed capacity in Ghana is over 5,300 MW. Total Installed Capacity (2): 5,326 MW Hydro: 1,580 MW Natural Gas, other: 2,070 MW Liquid Gas: 69 MW Solar: 63 MW Bio: 6.4 MW Diesel: 335 MW Crude Oil: 700 MW HFO: 400 MW The challenge is that the national grid doesn't have the infrastructure to supply even up to 3000 MW at a go, so much of the capacity is idle till the infrastructure is expanded.

[@TXnine7nine]

I think Ghana came out ahead in the long run as the benefits of having electricity have greatly expanded their economy. They would not be where they are economically compared to their neighbors without the dam.

[@bababababababa6124]

True, comparing Ghana to other West African countries like Niger and Burkina is like night and day

[@madmachanicest9955]

I agree with you because many thing especially alomaom can not be made with out electricl power. With out the dame the country would not have an economy

[@pikfan-b9r]

also Ghana is the most peaceful in the region not dealing with jihadists like there northern neighbors or ethnic nationalists like there western and eastern neighbors birth rates are far lower then the other nations development lead to education and economic prosperity witch lead to peace and people not caring so much about there ethnic and religious identity's over there national one

[@A.D.540]

@@pikfan-b9r people didn't care about their ethnic because ghana is one of most democratic nation if was corrupt people would be fighting for independent like Somalia, eritera,Ethiopia, congo , Nigeria , south Sudan so on.

[@adonaiyah2196]

Cool

[@higherlife2635]

I am from Ghana, and I want to thank you for covering this project. The building of the dam has played a tremendous role in Ghana's rise. By the way, Ghana has 3 major hydro electric dams: Akosombo Dam, Kpong Dam, and Bui Dam.

[@Oyzatt]

Is Kpong dam and bui dam active? How did they get the investment with what return?

[@DBLARRY999]

@@Oyzatt Built and financed by Chinese .

[@pilato6862]

​@@DBLARRY999remember China don't give out aid for free

[@BonsuBigWhale]

Was there not supposed to be one dam per village? What happened.

[@Pasty_Savant]

​@@BonsuBigWhaletake a wild guess. Point A not every single village has a water body for that to provide every single village with that would be essentially drowning ghana. It was an exaggerated thing meant to garner support.

[@MA-jg9dx]

I'm a Ghanaian and I can tell you for a fact that Kwame Nkrumah was the most visionary leader we've ever had

[@lukeaa]

The wisest person to ever live in Ghana.

[@mwanikimwaniki6801]

They did our man dirty

[@comment8767]

Kwame was an evil communist who taught kids to rat out their parents. Ghana is prosperous ever since Rawlings fixed it.

[@vervetech9395]

Not only Ghana but Africa. Africans revere him for his fight to unite the whole of Africa and helping other countries gain independence

[@feliciayeboah6434]

THAT SAD

[@expandedhistory]

This is what the History and Discovery Channel should be putting out. Amazing video as always.

[@sethkoch7114]

Couldn’t have said it any better! Also you have a nice history channel yourself.

[@expandedhistory]

@@sethkoch7114 Thank you!

[@Phlizzy]

But how would you know when the video is 10 minutes long and you commented this 2 minutes after release of the video?

[@ClumpyLemons]

@@Phlizzy Cable-quality history shows are so bad, and RLL is so good that it was a safe bet haha

[@IBTU]

Apart from the woke attitude

[@michaelpowell-ngatchou6274]

In places like Cameroon or Ghana, you actually start to recognize infrastructure that you take for granted when you are in a first world country.

[@Distress.]

Recently visited Colombia and felt the same.

[@SicMvndvsCreatvsEst8]

@@Distress. They're getting back up after the drug cartels Cali and Medellin dominated the country. 👍

[@Fireyblade7]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 haha let me check your channel im sure youre so funni

[@Aryan-ck9lv]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 Your Mom is more entertaining than you......

[@austinhernandez2716]

My hometown has a dam. It was the first county owned and run dam in the United States. The resevoir isn't that big but the dam powers most of the city.

[@iw3892]

The more I learn about Ghana the more I respect them. They come up with very clever solutions to very hard problems.

[@julianshepherd2038]

Looks like "Go Home Yankee" worked

[@warriorson7979]

Sounds to me like most of the clever solutions came from foreigners...🤔😒

[@davidanalyst671]

like nationalizing USA assets?

[@violetsrayreikishop2]

@@davidanalyst671 it's not USA properly you are very ignorant with a colonial racist mindset

[@lukeaa]

That was then but no more!!! Those responsible for that rather think about how to steal money to snatch young girls

[@747boy8]

Well, I’ve never BENIN Ghana but now I would love TOGO there!

[@shotelco]

Dam good comment!

[@DA-qz5rh]

Hahahaha. Goood one. Love your comment.

[@Icy_5811]

The joke isn't funny ngl

[@KavemanLyrics]

​@@Icy_5811 Thanks for typing ngl I would've thought you were a liar otherwise

[@asliceofcheese9989]

take this like and get out

[@janach1305]

When I was a college student in the Seventies, my big project for one of my cartography classes was a large map of Ghana with a transparent overlay of Lake Volta.

[@freshenuf1]

In 1957 as a child, I was taken to hear a speech by Kwame Nkruma in Philadelphia before independence. I've visited Ghana in 2016 and 2019 (the year of the return). The stableness of the country is displayed by how progressive it is. Tema and Accra are modern and friendly place and the people are hard working and gracious. A debt of gratitude is owed to its 1st. president a true visionary.

[@TarynAnnTibble]

94% for South Africa ... technically, sure, but there's this thing called load shedding (or scheduled rolling black outs), so I'd lower that figure significantly.

[@MrIansmitchell]

Eskom incompetence isn't the same as no access

[@TarynAnnTibble]

@@MrIansmitchell I agree and understand, but for those of us in the know it’s definitely a factor that would make us raise our brows at “94% access”.

[@whyiseverysinglehandletaken2]

True for India which "claims" to be at 98 percent, really not a problem for me i barely ever have any black out like once a year but in villages etc it's a huge problem

[@Churros1616]

Load shedding also happens in Egypt doesn’t lower the figure

[@predbob7624]

The same happens in Ghana from time to time. Definitely not as bad as a few years ago, but it still happens

[@CDS.26]

Volta is the best name for a river that powers a huge hydroelectric dam lol.

[@michaeltsike5349]

Hahaha “Volts”

[@MA-jg9dx]

I visited akosombo dam whiles studying for my HND at ATU it was nothing short of an engineering marvel God bless kwame

[@marks509]

Thanks!

[@muscleman125]

Seems worth it to me to be one of the few countries in Africa where everyone has access to electricity. That alone is setting Ghana up for a much greater future than most of the continent who is unfortunately stuck in the limbo of national poverty

[@44bett]

Thanks to the vision of President Nkrumah.

[@mwanikimwaniki6801]

@zuze I don't see Angola and Botswana as "powerhouses" in future but they could have exceptionally developed économies.

[@suryatejas3013]

@@mwanikimwaniki6801 Angola can be a literal powerhouse due to it's oil potential, besides they could work on fixing their lands so that food can be grown properly, they import a lot of food.

[@mwanikimwaniki6801]

@@suryatejas3013 Oil is exactly why I am ruling that out. Their economy is determined by oil performance and swings heavily like a pendulum in accordance to global shifts in oil prices. They have a legitimate resource curse.

[@mwanikimwaniki6801]

@zuze Yeah haha. Japan is certainly a reach but they have immense potential

[@bababababababa6124]

As a Nigerian its honestly embarassing for us how Ghana is doing so much better than us in many aspects

[@Kavriel]

What would you say is the main reason why Nigeria isn't doing as well as it could be ?

[@yakdudu]

@@Kavriel Oil.

[@bababababababa6124]

@@Kavriel Despite us being the biggest country in population and economy on our continent, poor leadership, corruption and a troubled history with cultural differences are just some of the reasons our country isn't doing as well as it should be. I have faith that things will improve in my lifetime, but we'll just have to wait and see And yes also Oil curse

[@elizabeth1stofenglandirela901]

ghanaian jollof is better though 😍😍

[@bababababababa6124]

@@elizabeth1stofenglandirela901 Dont start 😂😂😂😂

[@myronidasvestarossa]

This makes me proud to be Ghanaian ! Thanks Real Life Lore for covering my country.

[@mplaysxd1335]

Love from Philippines 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭

[@gabrielkpalam9853]

I was in shock when I saw the caption. Real life lore covered my country in a special documentary.

[@user-du9zt5rp5x]

There's nothing to be proud of because of that.

[@austinhernandez2716]

@@user-du9zt5rp5x yeah I never understood that. I'm American, and America has done some great things but I'm not responsible for it so saying I'm proud of it would make no sense.

[@adjoa-anima]

We gave a long way to go

[@TheStickman419]

Wow...i never knew this about Ghana, I lived in Ghana for a while and I noticed that they literally have almost permanent electricity, I was living with my aunty who had a backup generator they hadn't used for almost 6 months... As a Nigerian I was ABSOLUTELY AMAZED... electricity is a very very very major problem in Nigeria with some area's having no electricity for almost 30 years...and we have 3 dams. Ghana is an amazing country, they have done well for themselves and Ghanaians should be proud... Nigeria has a lot to learn from Ghana

[@myczxr]

indeed

[@Bundpataka]

People say that Nigerians and Ghanaians are always fascinated by eachother’s countries lol, is this true?

[@TheStickman419]

@@Bundpataka ABSOLUTELY, when I whent to Ghana I always thought I would be the one asking the questions, but they had just as many questions for me as I had for them lol

[@44bett]

Be patient, the West is in decline.

[@idifjrivhjf5198]

permanent electricity sustainably to be found commonly scarcity prevalent countries that are impoverished least developed countries along with that facing such shortages

[@kevinvanderlingen6130]

As a civil engineer, hats off to Ghana

[@david7384]

Can you imagine the environmental impact study if it was in Europe lol

[@jobless5866]

Saw Ghana and clicked immediately

[@chrisellingson123]

Had to laugh about South Africa's electricity access. 94% when it's on! We have had load-shedding/rolling blackouts well over a decade now due to mismanagement, lack of planning and blatant corruption from the ruling party. It's killing businesses and investor confidence.

[@tauceti8060]

Yet you keep voting them in I,m not refering to you personaly but as South Africans genarally.

[@chrisellingson123]

@@tauceti8060 Sadly it is true. It's easy to keep fooling a population if you keep them uneducated and reliant on a handouts with a sprinkling of propaganda to keep them paranoid. Every election shows signs that people are realizing what is happening; the problem is that some are falling for other wolves in sheepskin.

[@ClayinSWVA]

10 years ago, my company had an engine bearings plant in Pinetown. We were constantly getting alerts about the power being down affecting production. I never heard if they ever shut the plant down totally and move it somewhere else.

[@cactuscreek5925]

The Netherlands: Finally, a worthy opponent! Our battle will be legendary!

[@bababababababa6124]

didnt the Netherlands technically do the complete opposite of this though lol

[@cactuscreek5925]

@@bababababababa6124 true lol

[@johnr797]

@@bababababababa6124 yeah Netherlands has been adding land to their country lol, but I think they just mean dams in general

[@dicksonwells4836]

How I wished Ghana could have development comparing to Netherlands.

[@dicksonwells4836]

How I wished Ghana could have development comparing to Netherlands.

[@jpsoriano5440]

I love how this Channel encompasses both infrastructure development and societal effects and consequences from such. You know that he really does his job of informing people very well. Hoping to see more videos like this! ❤❤❤

[@kwakutabiri1100]

Just made my day seeing a video from you about Ghana. Long time subscriber. From 🇬🇭 with love!

[@Maxime7101]

For comparison, 1000MW corresponds to the electric power of one reactor of a nuclear plant. For the same output as the biggest nuclear plant, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant with 8100MW, Ghana would have sacrificed 28% of its land. It would represent for the USA the states of Texas, California, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado.

[@Anonymous-qb4vc]

What

[@cheeseboi8769]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 bro ur so desperate for clout

[@Raskt10]

Even within the realm of hydro 1000MW is not that much. I'm surprised that it manages to supply their own internal demand, and even export some of it.

[@vervetech9395]

@@Raskt10 That's because hydro is not the only source of electricity in Ghana. Some regions in Ghana have different sources and are free from akosombo dam.

[@julianshepherd2038]

Shipping and fishing are rare in a nuclear power station

[@LinuxLuddite]

Countries like Nigeria and Ghana would be the next power house in the later half of the century. All the best from Asia

[@LinuxLuddite]

@pm i am alive and most likely right. I am not talking about the entire africa. Ghana and Nigeria have made impressive progress, a decent estimate based on their potential shows they will be riding high by the 50s and 60s. The rest of Africa too would follow suit

[@LinuxLuddite]

@@Theactualstoic friend, china and india were also at that stage at some point. Look at the indexed from 70s and 80s, both these Asian countries were suffering from hunger, lack of power, poverty etc. Africa's raise is inevitable and that's how the market works. Asian countries would climb up to upper middle income economy and than finally become developed nations and that would mean raise in labour costs so companies would naturally look for regions with cheap labour. China is already losing that competitiveness to other developing Asian countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam because of rising labour cost. Africa in the 50s would have the same edge that china had in the 80s and 90s so companies would flock to Africa to tap those cheap labour. Cheap labour = cheap production cost = competative edge in the market. Those who doesn't go to Africa would lose that competitive edge. World economy 101, i am available for free tuition on global economy if you want

[@Jollofmuncher2000]

We need to fix corruption and economic inequality first. We've got great talents but that's no good if those same talents are barely staying afloat. We're moving though. Not nearly as fast as we could but it'll get better

[@TheJim9191]

I spent 2 months in Ghana with an NGO, and from what I observed, even though the country is one of the more developed in Africa, there is still a lot of corruption and a big divide between rich and poor. I saw a brand new Mercedes in Accra with gold plated alloys drive past a homeless kid with no legs pushing himself around on a skateboard with his hands on the dirty ground, begging for money. Even the higher up local guys in the NGO were corrupt. We caught them skimming large amounts of money or resources that we had brought for the local communities in Volta Region on multiple occasions and had to argue with them to pass those resources on to the schools we were there to help. Most of Africa suffers from the same administrative and corruption problems, and most countries in Africa would be much more developed if these could be solved. The people there were all wonderful and hopeful and had so much will and determination to improve their own lives, but were held back by corruption. The whole experience was bitter sweet to say the least. The country is beautiful but the people are getting let down by their government. And bear in mind this is one of the better places in Africa as well in terms of being relatively safe and stable and developed.

[@justice7099]

Where on this planet Earth do you come from? Which country are you living in? Tell me I want to know. Is there any country in this world that hasn't got people begging on the street whilst others are driving and pulling heavy luxurious vehicles? In fact if you care to know, it is prohibited by the laws of Ghana to beg on the streets. The disparities between Rich and the most wealthy against the Poor and the poorest on this Planet Earth is systemic and the Gap between these are very palpable all over the world.

[@emmanuelmensah7508]

😂 what kind of stupid analogy is this?

[@TheJim9191]

@@justice7099 oh wow, if it was "prohibited by law" for this starving 7 year old to ask for money, then I must have just imagined it. Thank you so much for correcting me.

[@justice7099]

@@TheJim9191 As the Motto of Sunyani Technical University goes, "He who that doesn't knows, when he learns, he gets to know". Maybe before you write something, try and find out about it. I couldn't fathom your analogy of people driving in the so-called big cars whereas people are begging on the street. You made it sound like that phenomenon is a Ghana problem. Even though I might agree on the fact that, if people around the world could be humane as we should, inasmuch as there are limited resources, the little available could be shared. But we All know that, the opposite is the truth because we know as it stands now, in our modern world today, you don't need to struggle to identify the richest man alive and likewise the poorest country.

[@justice7099]

@@TheJim9191 You may as well ask the supposedly "7 years starving" kid to show you where they come from. You should get to know their families and maybe your NGO could help them get proper jobs because begging hasn't been classified as one in Ghana today.

[@arulkuthiala]

I have been to Ghana, Benin , Nigeria and Sudan. GHANA by far is the place I love to be back. I am from India. Ghana people are polite, they have civic sense , ACCRA is a beautiful city!!

[@mayankgoud9503]

You better say India man. I'm from north of India.

[@arulkuthiala]

@@mayankgoud9503 done Sir

[@toast3048]

my mum is from ghana and i hope to go there next summer as i have family there and it would be nice

[@IamFleisch]

1038 megawatts is frankly kind of mind boggling. I was a reactor operator on an aircraft carrier in the United States Navy for 6 years. One Westinghouse A4W reactor (per Wikipedia) is rated at 550 MW. And there are two on board. It’s just insane to think that one USN vessel has more or less an entire small country’s electrical output at her disposal.

[@Lostwolf16]

Wow that's mind blowing

[@alan5506]

Wow that's mind blowing

[@raifij6698]

That just the benefit of the nuclear power the true power of the world. The power generation ratio to land area and fuel consumption is insane. Thats why the fear of nuclear power is nonsense if humanity truly want to be a enviromentally energy

[@mawuli7]

Ghana installed capacity is 4000MW.. much of it from domestic natural gas.

[@michaellind3653]

Even more mind blowing fact is we've used power plants on our ships to power cities during emergencies around the world. Sail up, anchor an run/splice in cables and light up a town!

[@claudest-arnaud2072]

I was living in Ghana during the construction of the dam. I loved Ghana as a boy and have found memories. Its people are friendly. I was there because my dad was a doctor at "37". Older Ghanaians will remember the reference to a hospital close to Flagstaff House.

[@nisigate]

37 is still operating as a military hospital it caters for pay for service to the general public my Dad had knee and hip surgeries there

[@claudest-arnaud2072]

@@nisigate nice to hear about its ongoing operations

[@kevinfowler8712]

What is the tribal name of the people who were displaced?

[@raphaeldemuyakor6243]

@@kevinfowler8712 so many tribes Most of them were compensated but not all of them

[@ibojovibe]

"37 Military Hospital, Accra"

[@marcello234]

"Time will tell if the decision they made to flood 3.5% of their land in exchange for the highest rate of electricity in West Africa was worth it". Interesting comment since it's been over 60 years since the project has been running, you would think that enough time has passed.

[@dan.S5050]

You're right on that observation. It's 60 years on and Ghana can boast of around 90% electrification to the every part of the country in 2022. The Volta river alone currently supplies around half of the country's needs as there is now a more diversified energy supply and more dams (in thermal, solar as well as hydro ). The first dam (Akosombo) built in the 1960s that is talked of here currently still serves a quarter of the country's energy needs so I'd say it has done well and one of the best investments made by the country that benefited everyone in the country as well as others in the region.

[@maknyc1539]

Y

[@azeezbawumia6511]

@@dan.S5050 that is a lie Ghana have installed capacity of 5,134 megawatts with a dependable capacity of 4,710 megawatts. (Meaning out of the 5,134MW installed capacity, 4,710MW is normally available for use) The installed capacity of akosombo dam is 1000Megawatts. In practice that dam generate less than 1000megawatts of electricity And even if the plant produce 1000 megawatts, 1000 is not half of 4710. The installed capacity of thermal power plants is higher than the akosombo dam

[@idifjrivhjf5198]

highest rates sacrifice to electricity 85% worth it in 3.5% efficiently

[@8Djoshh]

It’s funny how Ghana’s Volta River ended up bringing voltage.

[@nicolek4076]

I must have been around five years old when I visited the construction site of the Akosombo dam. I learned a new word - "coffer dam" and the tremendous activity and enormous piles of the reddish earth piled up all around left a great impression on me. By the way, we pronounced the president's name not as "Nu-kruma", but as "Un-kruma".

[@jakeg3126]

are you from Ghana. I had a college professor from there.

[@nicolek4076]

@@jakeg3126 No I'm British. My father accepted a temporary job at the Kwame Nkruma University of Science and Technology in Kumasi as part of post-independence aid to Ghana and took the whole family with him. We travelled all over even as far as the border with Burkina Faso - places like Wa, Bolgatanga and Navrongo - many extraordinary sites and stories for very young child - all on dirt tracks through the scrub with an armed guard.

[@auto_ego]

@@nicolek4076 Just in case you haven't realized it yet, it sounds like you've had the kind of life people would want to read a book about. Think about it.

[@nicolek4076]

@@auto_ego Oh yes. You're quite right. I'm a pensioner now, and you tend to look back on your life at this age. I'm aware of the richness of my experiences which started in childhood (living in India for several years) and continued well into my forties, living and working in various places round Europe. My husband is keen on documentaries on middle-eastern archaeology and I've noticed how many of the places depicted I've been to. I've had a very full life and don't feel I'd die with a life unlived. I think I've lived during that sweet spot in history when travel was quite easy, but places weren't overrun with tourists. I'm now too old and ill to consider much more travel, but this is probably better for my carbon footprint.

[@s.a5332]

@@nicolek4076 that’s so cool , I’m a Ghanaian. It would interesting read what Ghana looks like back in those days from the perspective of a foreigner.

[@herreramissions6283]

Don't forget that USA was once a colony too! Who knows how powerful Ghana will be in the future. As long as it puts it's people's rights and freedoms first, it will be amazing to see

[@warriorson7979]

The difference is that the US for a long time had a competent and relatively uncorrupted government. Until Africa learns to hold its governments accountable and not tolerate corruption and incompetence...nothing will change.

[@paddington1670]

TIA

[@mctimon4693]

Also, the independent USA wasn't ruled by the former native population, but by descendants of the colonists/immigrants. So technically the freed colony is still colonised, but independently colonised

[@hellome4283]

That where the problem is.Ghana would have developed many decades ago if they put their people first.Their leaders use Ghana as their businesses Ghanaian also don't know how to hold their leaders accountable because of tribalism, partisan politics and religion.The ordinary Ghanaian is ignorant as fuck.They will find any means to deny the truth with one sided reasons.

[@hellome4283]

Ghana will go downhill as time goes if the citizens do not arise or get a selfless leader.

[@GiulioVonKerman]

Absolutely an engineering masterpiece. I would love to see how Gabon, Kenya, South Africa and eSwatini managed to this too. Please do a video about these countries too!

[@Rodgers877]

South Africa because well some interesting things in the last 100 years

[@Rodgers877]

And that they gained independence in 1910 partially

[@wacibilly]

Kenya needs to tap into its geothermal power sources.

[@b1kReviews]

@@wacibilly Isn’t it what it’s doing now?…

[@wacibilly]

@@b1kReviews 2019: 690 MW installed geothermal capacity. 2030 target: at least 5,000 MW.

[@rmtab6511]

Loved this. More Africa content please!

[@kayakat1869]

Same! It's the up and coming continent now, and it will be nice to see how they will solve the problems that colonialism caused and finally have a good quality of life.

[@BA_AF_TH_Dan]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 no

[@soundscape26]

@@kayakat1869 Yes, many of them putting themselves in China's hands. A more sophisticated colonialism.

[@44bett]

Agree!

[@mwanikimwaniki6801]

@@soundscape26 Welp. The Chinese actually build shit. The West just sends lectures

[@kofi_v]

Small point of correction: Although parts of the dam are primarily made of concrete (the hydroelectric power plant & spillways) the dam itself is a rock fill embankment dam which is basically a huge wall made up of tons of large rocks. The weight of the rock mass is what holds the structure in place and retains the reservoir of water behind it. Great content still 👍🏽

[@kofi_v]

8:09 for reference

[@RoccosVideos]

I remember learning about the Volta lake in elementary school.

[@scavulous6336]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 k

[@wannabehistorian371]

Where are you that you actually get to learn stuff about Africa in school?

[@DemonNitrix]

Same, living her in the USA and we learn a lot about ghana, especially the part that they were one of the most powerful empires in Africa, part of the 3 most powerful empires to be exact. And they have a lot of gold.

[@abrantie_africa7635]

@@DemonNitrix Many countries around the globe learn about Ghana.

[@albright1gh128]

Am a Ghanaian, and I never knew my country Ghana is so important to the world like this...

[@richardakwasipouzah4812]

I'm Ghanaian and I have to say that the country has so much more potential for growth. It's high time another visionary leader unlocked that potential🇬🇭

[@richardakwasipouzah4812]

Thank you very much @RealLifeLore this video answers a lot of questions

[@maxneilson]

Pretty cool how the river is called Volta and they went on to use it to produce power!

[@AM-mu2kv]

The volta aged well

[@petergray7576]

Except that Volta in this case is the Portuguese word for "twist or turn".

[@yourbestam]

My Dad's home country, I'm so happy to see a whole video dedicated to it!!!! 🇬🇭💖

[@blank6521]

Bro really said “from automobiles to cars”

[@letopizdetz]

Think he wanted to say "to cans", since that's what he put in the video, but brain farted.

[@New.Horizon5]

@@letopizdetz Brain farted?, lol

[@oxide9717]

Fellow Ghanaian here. I approved this video 🇬🇭🇬🇭🇬🇭 I love your videos

[@smoothr.7532]

oh dear....pretty timely this popped up. Great Video!

[@emmafriel8844]

I travelled to Ghana in 2020 volunteering in a school, I really want to go back!

[@MrBoliao98]

Given that Ghana gives me the impression of one of the better former colonies in Africa, I think the dam did a good job.

[@deshawnmoore1731]

Well most of Ghana was not a standard Colony but a Protectorate (Ashanti protectorate) with the other half was the Colony of the Gold Coast After Independence for a little while Ashanti was a nation independent from Ghana until it later joined Ghana

[@davidanalyst671]

it wasn't colonialism that built the dam, it was the United States that built the dam, and after they built it, ghana nationalized it which means the government took it. so its not colonialism that built the dam or ghana, it was the united states citizens that made the investment

[@BA_AF_TH_Dan]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 no ona cares

[@kofisam4106]

@@davidanalyst671 the dam wasn’t a US asset, the aluminum smelting plant was, but not the hydroelectric dam. Get that in your thick head!

[@kofisam4106]

@@davidanalyst671 the dam was a national asset, it was rather going the aluminum smelting plant, which was owned by American investors.

[@sofiaabban-sackey8552]

Fun fact: Ghana is now the one of the fastest growing economy in africa

[@nisigate]

Fun fact the current government have borrowed to their eye balls the country is indebted second behind Sri Lanka my folks still live there no jobs so I work to support them. So muck potential but few initiatives from the government to help the youth while they (regime) leaders and cronies build mansion buy homes abroad and school their kids and grandchildren abroad.

[@hackman669]

Hope Egypt becomes stable as well.

[@toketillubroke]

My stepfather was working on a tri fuel power station in Ghana that was to be supplied from a pipeline connected to the the harbor in Tema. He left the project due to the levels of corruption involved in the pipe. The plant if ever finished would have helped some of the power issues I'm Accra, Tema and surrounding areas but they's needs for alternatives

[@KhinNinson]

HMMM

[@sheriffalexis7130]

I’m Ghanaian and never thought i would see you make a video of Ghana. 🇬🇭 to the world 🚀 😃

[@_Be_Still]

Ghanaians and their mediocrity. Everything Ghana to the world. I feel so ashamed seeing comments like this.

[@janhejcman]

Oportunity cost, trade offs, what an economic language! Love it as A level economics student

[@janhejcman]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 well I just find the informations he give really interesting, I don't watch him for being funny 😅

[@SRosenberg203]

@@janhejcman Don't bother replying, just report the spammer and move on.

[@aidenvister9089]

South Africa may have 94% electricity access but we are getting load shedding many times in a year where electricity is basically rationed several times throughout the day depending on the stage or amount of rationing they need to do throughout the day. This year's load shedding has been the worst so far as this year had the most hours of load shedding than previous years and the year is not done yet.

[@ireneabilla16]

I'm from Ghana and the moment I saw this video I clicked on it. Thanks for the great video. I'm Tudwal by the way

[@nasirben4112]

Waouhhh, as an African I’m so proud of this video . Thank you so much , many people don’t show Africans hard works on their channels , you are amazing 🌹

[@hallelbimpong1901]

Hey I'm from Ghana and am soo delighted that your talking about GH much love from here

[@davestanton3822]

Honesty, trust and intergrity are the most valuable resources that Africa needs.

[@sophoniasmessele]

Great video man! On the subject of dams...how about a video about the new Ethiopian Renaissance Dam? I'm sure it'll make for an interesting topic

[@44bett]

Thank you for a very interesting and informative video. Former President Kwame Nkrumah was an amazing visionary and leader. The President was formally educated in Ghana, England and the US at Lincoln College and University of Pennsylvania. In 1961 he wrote the inspiring ''I Speak of Freedom'' , but in 1966 the CIA overthrew him - to a great lose to Africa and humanity.

[@Alex-um4fe]

Yes just one of the 63 democracies that need adjustment by the corporate USA army. Lol

[@marcusdotse1441]

Kwame Nkrumah’s wisdom. Imagine how much more he could have accomplished.

[@hellome4283]

So why aren't the citizens continuing Kwame Kwame nkrumah's legacy if your leaders don't.Remember the country belongs to u the citizens don't let any leader take that away from u

[@marcusdotse1441]

@@hellome4283 the citizens are helpless. No jobs. The govt keep taxing us and nothing to show for.

[@akwasiowusu-poku1536]

@@hellome4283 Nkrumah's legacies were: Communism, socialism, autocratic rule, embezzlement, dictatorship, sycophancy, denial, hypocrisy, and that is why Ghana is suffering. The largest fund deposited in a Swiss account in nobody's name is from Ghana, about $800 000 000 plus interest since 1957.

[@JenandTonic95]

I've been blessed enough to see Akosombo and the Dam in person. Akosombo is one of the most beautiful places on earth ❤🇬🇭

[@optinoptimist]

Thanks for the upload!! And all your hard work!!!

[@optinoptimist]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 I'm not, my content sucks lol, i have a long way to go before i'm anywhere near as entertaining as reallifelore 😂

[@Michael-dy7zp]

Ghana has become a success in Africa especially compared to some of its neighbors and the dam and power plant were a big reason. Also if the loans they got to build it weren't so unfair and if Ghana actually owned everything from beginning then they would be even more prosperous.

[@ItsJustVarnekPH]

@@UnkownKZbinr286 my brother in christ you should ask your family for your well-needed attention instead

[@zombieat]

unfair? ghana signed them.

[@Toywins]

@@zombieat alot of people sign a lot of things out of necessity. So you blame prey instead of predators? You must think capitalism is a great system... 😒

[@mwanikimwaniki6801]

@@zombieat It's called being in between a rock and a hard place

[@whuzzzup]

> loans The World Bank (aka the USA) don't "help" you out of gratitude ;)

[@MichaelCarolina]

Love watching Wode Maya about Ghana...He is great.

[@sircoloniser5454]

Ghana was four entities under the British The colony of the Gold Coast The protectorate of Ashanti The northern territories And finally The League of Nations mandate of trans Volta togoland These four entities were combined on independence due to their mutual dependence

[@myztroogeegibson3568]

87% of Ghana Land mass before Europeans was known as Ashanti Empire...

[@libertymines1427]

Get outta here with your lies. The Northern Protectorate, The British Togoland and The Coast werent a part of thr Ashanti Empire !. It’s in books, go and read !

[@sircoloniser5454]

@@libertymines1427 this was how britain divided and administrated the territory doesn’t matter if it was previously controlled by the Ashanti doesn’t change the map that britain drew

[@myztroogeegibson3568]

@@libertymines1427 that was how the British sought to divide and rule Ghana after they finally conquered the Ashanti Empire of almost a 100 year old war. I'm talking about precolonial Northern Ghana paid homage to the Ashanti Kingdom and were strong military allies against the Arab traders who had resisted Arab rule 1000s of years from old Ghana, songhai empire and have migrated to staying alone the coast coast. The German Togoland was annex to the British protectorate after the world war. Ashanti Empire was 87% of today's Ghana Land mass some to the west of ivory Coast and some to the south of Burkina Faso. It is also written in book in Arabic at the manhyia Palace and in Dutch at the Dutch museum as well ie precolonial history.

[@Niani23455]

@@myztroogeegibson3568 True. The Ashanti Empire did touch Ivory Coast, some Northern states like Dagbon and Gonja, the coastal states (such as the Fante), as well as the Togo Mountains.

[@edmund6392]

This was very informative. Thank you.

[@ajx9747]

Chad: We are so Chad that we don't need any electricity

[@edjohnson8017]

Loved visiting Ghana, incredibly safe. I’d wager safer then a lot of metropolitan areas in the United States Goes to show, what good leadership and minimal corruption can achieve with useful infrastructure projects.

[@johnr797]

*American Government:* "What's infrastructure?"

[@brightBoss]

"good leadership and minimal corruption" Bruh, stop it. I'm from Ghana and you just made me laugh

[@dicksonwells4836]

@@brightBoss I mean he’s not wrong if you compare us to other countries in Africa. Just that the corruption is too much. Ghana cedi da f)m flat😂 hrr Bawumia paaa🤣

[@brightBoss]

@@dicksonwells4836 with the peace and stability we should be doing better bro

[@geralddarkobekoe]

@@brightBoss Nana Addo aban aku y3n

[@MOCHI-ek6rc]

I am from Nigeria but may God bless Kwame Kruma

[@christicorbin4454]

THANK YOU for all your videos. I just found your channel & have been binge watching for hours. I've always loved history & geography & will be subscribing to Curiosity/Nebula!

[@kwamenyame1277]

Ayyyeee… thank you for covering this project

[@raquibulzeesun7356]

The exact same thing happened with Bangladesh. We built a dam on the Karnaphuli river for electricity. We had to sacrifice a lot of things for it too. 100k people got displaced, the main city of the region was completely flooded including ancient palace of the king, 40% of the arable land there submerged, it fueled tension with the indigenous group 'Chakma' (as they were the mostly affected) which still remains till date. Although it also had some positive things too. For instance communication became much easier cause of water transportation (the region was a hilly area), local fish production grew and it also became an attractive tourist destination. But still the damage far outstrips the benefits

[@Bundpataka]

It always seems like countries choose land occupied by minority indigenous groups to use for these types of projects. These types of things happen all across North and South America, China, Australia, etc

[@alahiri2002]

I think the economic benefits will start to take hold in the future and outweigh the negatives. That electricity can improve the quality of life for a lot of people if it is managed efficiently.

[@Bundpataka]

@@alahiri2002 I agree, except for the case of the indigenous people, who should be compensated heavily for the loss of their land

[@alahiri2002]

@@Bundpataka 100% agreed. You can’t do something like this properly without making the welfare of those affected the top priority.

[@warriorson7979]

"Hilly area" in Bangladesh??😟😒 Are you sure..?

[@will_be_like]

6:00 I don't think many Americans would mind plunging Nevada beneath a sea of water lol ...

[@poisonbcm5275]

who likes nevada anyways?

[@jarazy1232]

🤣🤣🤣

[@A.Severan]

Would love to watch a video about the Great Manmade River in Libya, which is the world’s largest manmade irrigation system. It feels like a crime that no one made a video about it.

[@alahiri2002]

This sounds way too interesting to be left unknown.

[@jay_kay709]

The crime is open slave markets in tripoli and destroying the most stable and advanced ecomony on the continent

[@A.Severan]

@@jay_kay709 What slave markets? I've lived in Tripoli my whole life, and I have yet to hear of a single enslaved person, let alone a slave market. Stop with this media sensationalist broken record! We Libyans are sick and tired of hearing about bogus slander on top of our struggle of netting our country back together. Just stop.

[@jay_kay709]

@@A.Severan ive heard otherwise. Maybe things changed, Maybe, i hope Libya is getting better.

[@Valuedrivenafrica]

@@A.Severan may God continue to destroy the Enemies of Libya. Those who fought against Gaddafi, and those who saw that Libya failed as a state... Libya was the best Nation in Africa with dreams of a better continent.

[@vandevonshuaibaliyakubu5268]

For those saying how can 1000MW Give a country 85%of elettricity Akosombo is not the only sources Ghana have another Dams like BUI DAM, KPONG DAM and there's Another One which the government plan to start this Year PWALUGU DAM

[@brofutv1853]

Ok, so Ghana has a total installed capacity of over 5300MW today, most of which is from thermal plants. Ghana doesn't need all of this though. The dam remains significant because its power is cheaper and so it provides base load. Some of the thermal plants serve as reserve plants. There's been problems with overcapacity charges though.

[@yawos9024]

Bui is the next largest - built by the Chinese.

[@Uzair_Of_Babylon465]

Fantastic video keep it up your doing amazing job

[@animeshmaji12376]

Rll lecture is 200% better than schools lecture.

[@John.Asante]

proud of my country! 🇬🇭

[@tonymccarthy6713]

Everyone should be proud of their country.🇦🇺

[@ok-vk9fv]

@@tonymccarthy6713 hard when there's a 24/7 threat of russian invasion 😭😭🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇹🇱🇹🇱🇹🇱🇻🇱🇻🇱🇻

[@juliancrossler6301]

@@tonymccarthy6713 I agree 🇩🇪🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@SmashhoofTheOriginal]

I'd love to see more videos about Africa!

[@Boahemaa]

The negative effects of this dam have been felt for decades now. You even mentioned some. Look into the Keta sea defense project. Basically, the debris that usually forms a beach to keep the sea away from the land is no longer deposited so the sea has been claiming the communities along the shore.

[@llamingo696]

Your animations are flawless are always, nice

[@AltAccount-vt8pi]

1:50 “The British showed up in the 19th century” hm I wonder where else that may apply

[@ToastieBRRRN]

Everywhere.

[@Jcguy123]

Got conquered

[@mwanikimwaniki6801]

@@Jcguy123 It was a pretty hefty war. I think they fought almost for the entirety of the century. Ghana really had smart generals that had no delusions. They staged the first recorded amphibious landing in modern Africa and etc. The Anglo-Ashanti wars are a fun read.

[@camadams9149]

It sounds like the right call. Without electricity the "productivity of farmland" or "significant deposits of raw materials" means basically nothing. Without electricity you are basically left with an inefficient exactive economy

[@mahamajones2994]

Luv this video especially for how detailed it is, in fact I live in Ghana but I didn't know most of the things mentioned in the video until now😅

[@bennana4954]

Cos you decided not to read. You really affirmed the notion, "Foreigners know more about our country than we do."

[@youngjayzgh.]

God bless our homeland Ghana 🇬🇭

[@gideonkwakye238]

Great video maan💯

[@rohankishibe8259]

Can you do a video on how some African nations are far well off from the others?? Like north and south africa

[@dxelson]

Both have significant non black people 🤣

[@jrr6947]

Not that South Africa is doing well, since the 90's the country has gone from boom to bust, we once had 100% electricity supply and today we have periodic blackouts (Loadshedding from 2 to 8 hours daily) to conserve electricity to prevent a complete systems blackout.

[@Churros1616]

@@jrr6947 that’s a lie. The numbers during apartheid don’t take into account how the majority the native South Africans didn’t get what they deserved. So only a minority benefited of the wealth back then. South Africa was horrible during apartheid

[@sunnya4310]

@@jrr6947 You mean 100% electricity supply going to the few wealthy, white families in the cities? I won't call that 100% access to electricity considering the fact that there were black SAs living in slums and villages in homelands without electricity.

[@jrr6947]

@@sunnya4310 A few wealthy White families?🤣 The government was handed a fully operational electricity producing company. It provided 40% of Africa with electricity and in 1998 won the award for the best electric company in the world and produced the cheapest electricity on the planet! You blithering fool for saying it only produced for the Whites.

[@o_s_byron2319]

As a ghanaian(dont live there anymore) ghana has potential to be the shining star of africa but as with most african countries, gross mismanagement any corruption will continue to hold us back. Ghana is taking steps in the right direction but i feel there must be a fundamental shift in mentality to achieve its full potential.

[@tewekdenahom485]

Ghana basically ensured water security and energy security. There's not many cons when you think about that

[@alparslankorkmaz2964]

Nice video.

[@365flyonthewall]

I live in nevada and honestly please just plunge us all underwater

[@fernanmontevista204]

Well detailed and the presentation is good.I wish i can visit Ghana soon.

[@kwasiasamani6806]

Ghana is happily waiting for you.

[@Charlie._.Niron22]

Man, How does this man teach me more in 10 mins than History teacher does in 45 mins... And that's coming from a history Nerd. .. Also Could you make a Video on the Sri Lankan Economic Crisis and whether it is a Chinese Debt trap or not? I think you can explain it better than anyone

[@johnr797]

There's a lot of very very good videos on that already, though. (Also, yes it is, they wanted full control of the port and maximum leverage over the Lankan government)

[@TheZachary86]

Because you couldn’t be bothered to even wiki.

[@xmakaraig]

It's quite sad how people and nature can be collateral damage to development. We're about to face the same thing here in the Philippines with multiple projects, most notably the Kaliwa Dam. Hope you can make videos about the Philippines too! P.S. One small thing I really like about these videos is you make measurement comparisons that would better explain just how huge or small something is. ❤️

[@edwardevans9162]

But as water becomes more scarce and in demand this dam could really help Ghana

[@jasonreed7522]

Hydro power dams are definitely a double edgeds sword, on the one hand they provide flood control, a stable electric supply, are generally non-poluting (in the tropics they emit a good deal of methane from rotting vegetation), a large water reservoir, and a recreational lake. Downsides: Drowned land Displaced communities Converting a river ecosystem to a lake one Definitely killing a lot of fish, especially migratory species if you don't include a fish ladder Dam failure flood catastrophe risk (also terrorist/hostile military target) Basically its complicated but existing dams should probably stay and new dams need to be carefully considered and well designed to minimize damage. (Hydro is still better than coal by miles, but thats partially due to coal being the absolute worst power source when you include externalities)

[@LucasAnderson111]

Thanks for making a documentary about Ghana

[@kcototheyoyoyo]

In Nigeria we say “NEPA took the light” because your electricity will randomly go out leading to people relying on gas generators

[@tylerdurden3722]

I noticed South Africa has 94% electricity access. Trust me, that statistic is definitely higher than 94% About 7% of the country's total electric consumption is unofficial...due to electricity theft. So, a significant portion of the population unofficially has access to electricity. In the city of Johannesburg that statistic is 32% stolen electricy.

[@iluvleo]

access and consumption are not the same thing you could have access and no consumption but not the vice versa

[@islanoliveira]

This level of theft in Johannesburg reminded me of the electricity theft in Rio de Janeiro city.

[@stevek1225]

So Ghana is almost 100% renewable, clean energy and exports to other states: Much better decision compared to becoming indebted by Chinese coal power stations

[@wettmarley]

am a Ghanaian but u missed out on one country that also enjoys Ghana's electricity which is Ivory Coast Ghana has soo much energy from Akosombo Dam

[@shormyblinks1757]

Ghana currently supplies electricity to 4 countries in West Africa not 3 Togo, Benin, Ivory coast and Liberia get your facts right

[@medhedi3935]

I am happy for my african brothers. Sending you my love and respect from tunisia . Wish you all the best

[@prosurvival2031]

Awesome video 👍🏻👍🏻

[@insertphrasehere15]

4:48 Clarification; not a concrete dam! It's a rockfill embankment dam.

[@shormyblinks1757]

The most important thing is it giving electricity fuck it being concrete or rock whatever considering the time it was built and it being the biggest man made lake not many African countries had that kinda vision, give it credit it deserves and stop being a skinpain