GEF-Volta Addressing Transboundary Concerns in the Volta River Basin and its Downstream Coastal Area Volta Basin Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis: National report Ghana Project Number: 53885 Final report December, 2010 GEF-Volta Addressing Transboundary Concerns in the Volta River Basin and its Downstream Coastal Area First published in Ghana in 2010 By the UNEP-GEF Volta Project. Copyright © 2010, United Nations Environment Programme This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non-profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder provided acknowledgement of the source is made. UNEP would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. No use of this publication may be made for resale or for any other commercial purpose without prior permission in writing from the United Nations Environment Programme. UNEP-GEF Volta Project Project Management Unit No. E3 Leshie Cresent - Labone c/o UNDP P.O. Box 1423 Accra Ghana P.O. Box 1423 Accra Ghana Phone: +233 30 2764111 Fax: +233 30 2772669 Mobile: +233 20 6309775 Website: www.gefvolta.iwlearn.org DISCLAIMER: The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of UNEP or the GEF. The designations employed and the presentations do not imply of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the UNEP, or of the GEF, or of any cooperating organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, of its authorities, or of the delineation of its territories or boundaries. The report was prepared by Wilson Agyei Agyare, Ronald Abrahams and Bernadette Araba Adjei For citation purposes this document may be cited as: UNEP-GEF Volta Project, 2010. Volta Basin Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis: National report Ghana. UNEP/GEF/Volta/NR GHANA 1/2010 GEF-Volta Addressing Transboundary Concerns in the Volta River Basin and its Downstream Coastal Area Table of contents List of abbreviations and acronyms iv Preface vi Executive Summary vii List of Tables xi List of figures xiii 1. Background and context of the study 15 2. Methodology for the development of the country report 16 3. The state of the Volta River Basin in Ghana 17 3.1 Geographic scope and ecosystem boundaries 17 3.2 Physical Characteristics 19 3.2.1 Basin geology, relief, drainage patterns and soils 19 3.2.1.1 Drainage of the Volta Basin 21 3.2.1.2 Soils of the Volta Basin 22 3.2.2 Climatic Regime 24 3.2.3 Climatic Variability and Climate Change 27 3.2.4 Hydrology and river morphology 37 3.2.5 Hydrogeology 41 3.2.6 Sediment transport 43 3.2.7 Water quality 45 3.2.8 Coastal features (Ghana) 50 3.3 The ecosystem and its components 51 3.3.1 Land cover 51 3.3.1.1 The Short Grass Vegetation 52 3.3.1.2 Woody and Shrub Savannah 52 3.3.1.3 Woody and Shrub Savannah, Open Forest of Humid Type 52 3.3.1.4 Mangroves 60 3.3.2 Basin ecosystems 60 3.3.2.1 The Volta Basin Terrestrial Ecosystem 61 3.3.2.2 The Volta Basin Aquatic Ecosystem 61 3.3.2.3 Aquatic Weeds 62 3.3.3 Biodiversity and biological production 69 3.3.4 Ecosystem functions 75 3.3.5 Coastal ecosystems (Ghana) 77 3.4 Social, cultural and health setting 78 3.4.1 Demographic characteristics and trends 78 3.4.1.1 Urbanisation 79 3.4.1.2 Age Structure and Labour Force 79 3.4.2 Migration patterns 80 3.4.3 Social and cultural setting (incl. access to land, shelter and habitat) 81 3.4.4 Education 81 3.4.5 Food security 82 3.4.6 Health, water borne diseases, and access to potable water 82 3.5 Socio-economic setting 82 3.5.1 Macro-economic figures and economic characteristics and values 82 3.5.2 National development policies and key sector policies 84 3.5.3 Agriculture 85 3.5.3.1 Typology of crops along with acreages, production, yields, inputs, and labour supply 85 3.5.3.2 Agriculture share in the household employment, economies, and poverty relief 94 3.5.3.3 Vulnerability to climate change impacts on livelihoods means 95 3.5.3.4 Constraints: access to resources (land, water, inputs) 95 3.5.4 Livestock 96 3.5.4.1 Animal population, production, productivity, growth yield, and labour supply 96 3.5.4.2 The livestock market: structure, pricing, and producer’s income 98 3.5.4.3 Livestock share in the household economies and poverty relief 99 3.5.4.4 Vulnerability to climate change and consequently impacts on livelihoods means 99 3.5.4.5 Economic relevance of the livestock sector 99 3.5.5 Fisheries and aquaculture 100 Volta Basin Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis: National report Ghana i GEF-Volta Addressing Transboundary Concerns in the Volta River Basin and its Downstream Coastal Area 3.5.6 Forestry 102 3.5.7 Biodiversity, harvesting of natural resources and ecosystem services 102 3.5.8 Industry and Commerce 103 3.5.9 Mining 103 3.5.10 Energy 104 3.5.11 Tourism 104 3.5.12 Transport and Communication 105 3.5.13 Water infrastructure 106 3.5.13.1 Dams and reservoirs constructed in the Volta basin of Ghana 106 3.5.13.2 Hydropower Development 109 3.5.13.3 Inter Basin Transfer (IBT) 111 3.5.14 Current water use patterns 111 3.6 Macro-economic status and trends: Sectoral baseline data (Ghana) 124 3.7 Governance 124 3.7.1 Organisation of state 124 3.7.2 Legal, institutional and frameworks 125 3.7.2.1 Water Management 125 3.7.2.2 Land 127 3.7.2.3 Biodiversity 128 3.7.2.4 Environmental protection 129 3.7.2.5 Climate Change 130 3.7.2.6 Other Relevant Sectoral Legislative Framework and Polices 131 3.7.2.7 International Conventions and Protocols 131 3.7.3 Stakeholder involvement in natural resources management 139 3.7.4 Legal, institutional and policy constraints 140 3.8 Summary of the key environmental & social problems (national part of the basin) 146 4. Drivers of change and possible future trends 151 4.1 Drivers of change 151 4.1.1 Population growth, migration and urbanisation 151 4.1.2 Poverty 151 4.1.3 Regional and international market forces 151 4.1.4 National and regional development policies 152 4.1.5 Climate change 152 4.2 Projecting water use trends 153 4.2.1 Overall demand for water 153 4.2.2 Water supply for domestic consumption 154 4.2.3 Livestock 154 4.2.4 Irrigated agriculture 154 4.2.5 Industry, commerce and mining 154 4.2.6 Hydropower generation 154 4.2.7 Maintaining ecosystem integrity and services 155 4.3 Impacts of the changes 155 4.3.1 Impact of water resources development 155 4.3.2 Impact on the river ecosystem 156 4.3.3 Overall ecosystem integrity 156 4.3.4 Socio-economic implications 157 4.4 Changing land use and vegetation cover 157 4.5 Changing sediment and erosion patterns 157 4.6 Changing Water Quality 158 4.7 Changing pressures on natural resources 158 4.8 Governance 158 4.8.1 Drivers of change in national/regional legal, institutional & policy frameworks 158 4.8.2 Possible future development trends of legal, institutional & policy frameworks 162 4.8.3 Enhancement of stakeholder involvement in natural resources management 164 4.9 Summary of pressures and possible changes in the national part of the basin 164 5. Transboundary diagnosis 166 5.1 Future pressures and probable consequences 166 5.1.1 The River and the water resources 166 5.1.2 The Basin 166 5.1.3 The People 166 Volta Basin Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis: National report Ghana ii GEF-Volta Addressing Transboundary Concerns in the Volta River Basin and its Downstream Coastal Area 5.2 Hotspots and areas of particular importance in Ghana 166 5.3 Social consequences 166 5.4 Socio-economic consequences and livelihood implications 166 5.5 Macro-economic consequences 166 5.6 Governance Implications 166 5.7 Summary 166 6. Conclusions and recommendations 171 6.1 Key findings and priority transboundary issues for the country 171 6.2 Systemic recommendations 171 6.3 Basin planning recommendations 172 6.4 Sectoral recommendations 172 6.5 Socio-economic issues and opportunities 172 6.6 Macro-economic issues and opportunities 174 6.7 Governance recommendations and opportunities 174 7. Annexes 177 7.1 Annex A: References 178 7.2 Annex B: TORs for the Preparation of the national TTDA of the Volta Basin 183 Volta Basin Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis: National report Ghana iii GEF-Volta Addressing Transboundary Concerns in the Volta River Basin and its Downstream Coastal Area List of abbreviations and acronyms Abbreviation Definition BZP Buffer Zone Policy CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CBO Community Based Organisation CEA Country Environmental Analysis CIDA Canadian International Development Agency COMPAP Comprehensive Mitigation Analysis Process CONIWAS Coalition of NGOs in the Water and Sanitation Sector CSIR Council for Scientific and Industrial Research CSPS Centre for Social and Political Studies CV Coefficient of Variation CWSA Community Water and Sanitation Agency DO Dissolved oxygen EPA Environmental Protection Agency EIA Environmental Impact Assessment ERP Economic Recovery Programme ESA External Support Agency FBO Farmer Based Organizations FASDEP Food and Agricultural Sector Development Strategy GCM Global Circulation Model GIDA Ghana Irrigation Development Authority (MoFA) GLOWA Global Change of the Water Cycle GoG Government of Ghana GPRS Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy GSBA Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas GSDA Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda GWCL Ghana Water Company Limited (successor to GWSC) GWSC Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation HSD Hydrological Services Department (MWH) IBT Inter Basin Transfer IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ISSER Institute for Statistical Social and Economic Research IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature IWMI International Water Management Institute IWRM Integrated Water Resources Management LAP Land administration Project LEAP Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty L.I.