The road from Menji to the Black Volta River passes through the center of Banda-Ahenkro, pictured here in 1982, view to the north. Earthen-walled buildings line the main street. Houses on the right-hand side have thatched roofs while those on the left have metal roofs. People walk in the center of the street as they move about town. Ahenkro, December, 1982.
An aerial view of Banda area settlements and roads, looking southwards from the north side of Banda-Ahenkro, district administrative center since 2012 of the Banda District in Ghana's Bono (formerly Brong-Ahafo) Region. The linear range of Banda hills is visible in the background (right, top) with the compact core of Banda-Ahenkro center photo. To the west (right), Ahenkro's houses are more dispersed than in its compact and older core. The left-hand fork of a Y-shaped road (center photo) is the main road that leads south towards Sabiye and Bofie to Menji. The right-hand fork is the now-bypassed old main road between Ahenkro and Kabruno. The road that extends horizontally across the left side of the photo is the paved road that extends from the Banda junction to the Wenchi-Bamboi road (N12). The clustered villages visible south of Ahenkro include Kanka, Kabruno, Sase, Gbao, Dompofie and Makala. To the east of Ahenkro (photo's far left) the angular straight edges and lighter green color of a cashew plantation stand out from the surrounding vegetation. Cashew has become an increasingly important cash crop grown in the area since the early 2000s. Ahenkro, 25 June, 2019.
The road leading from Ahenkro to Bongase parallels the Banda hills. Visible on the right side of the road are electrical lines and a pole. Electrification was recent at the time of these two photos. North of Ahenkro, 16 June, 2009.
Sinohydro, a state-owned Chinese hydropower engineering and construction company, began construction on the Bui Hydroelectric Dam in 2008. Here on the north bank of the Black Volta River at the base of the mountain which became the dam site is an Ewe fishing village, Agbegikrom. The village was leveled after its inhabitants were resettled. Two views, one showing a road under construction along the south bank of the Black Volta River at the dam site. Bui Dam site, 28 June, 2008.
The road leading from Ahenkro to Bongase parallels the Banda hills. Visible on the far right (center) is an electrical pole. Electrification was recent at the time of this picture. The mountains near Jama on the north side of the Black Volta River are visible, center. North of Ahenkro, 16 June, 2009.
Approach to Bui village by road from the south seen in a series of five photos panning from north (001) to northeast (005). The mountain behind the village is part of the range associated with the Bui Dam. Bui villagers were relocated in advance of flooding caused by dam construction that inundated the village seen here. Five photos. Bui, June, 2009.
The clustered villages of Kabruno, Kanka, Sase and Gbao are visible from the hills west of Ahenkro, as is the road leading south to Sabiye. The eastern range of Banda hills is visible in the distance. Banda, June, 2009.
A view looking northward on Ahenkro's main street. The paved road is bordered on either side by deep gutters. Electrical poles and wires run along one side of the street. A sign advertising MTN "Mobile Money" is placed roadside. Several motor vehicles are parked along the road. A bicycle is parked in the foreground. Ahenkro, June, 2016.
Bridge spanning the Tombԑ River near Sabiye on the road from Menji to Ahenkro, view to the south. Loose planks had to be arranged to allow vehicles to pass. Kwasi Mensah and Mensah Listowell (white shirt) arrange loose planks to enable a vehicle to pass. Sabiye, August, 1982.
Bridge spanning the Tombԑ River near Sabiye on the road from Menji to Ahenkro, view to the south. Construction of a replacement bridge began in the 2010s but was stalled by 2016. As of 2019, this bridge remained the main connection to southern towns traveling from Banda. Two photos. Sabiye, 19 June, 2016.
Bridge spanning the Tombԑ River near Sabiye on the road from Menji to Ahenkro, view to the south. This is the route over which many of the supplies for construction of the Bui Dam arrived. The bridge is pictured here prior to the main dam construction (from December, 2009). Sabiye, June, 2008.
View from the north edge of Ahenkro of the road leading northward to Bongase and the Bui Dam site. Electricty poles and wires are visible on the roadside. The newly grated road of a year before has suffered erosion in the intervening rainy season. Ahenkro, June, 2009.
View to the north on the Bongase road, roughly 4 km southwest of Bongase. Electrical poles and wires run alongside the main road. The low-lying area of the road (ahead in the picture) was inundated by flood waters as the lake formed behind Bui Dam after 2013. A bypass had to be constructed and the road here became passable after the 2013 formation of Bui Lake only by a narrow foot bridge. June, 2009.
Newly grated and guttered road leading northward from Ahenkro toward Bongase viewed from the north edge of Ahenkro. The Banda hills are visible in the background. July, 1994
By 1994, work on the 4th Republic Road (as it was then known) extended the grated motorable road from Kanka to Nyire. View to the west on the approach to Kanka, Banda mountain range visible in the distance. July, 1994.
View from the north edge of Ahenkro of the road leading northward to Bongase and the Bui Dam site. Newly installed electricty poles and wires are visible on the roadside. Ahenkro, June, 2008.
The road to Bui Village was a rough track that ran west and north out of Bui Camp, headquarters of the Bui National Park. Bui Village is visible in the foreground of the mountain. The mountain lies to the north of the Black Volta River and formed part of the ridge used to construct the Bui Dam. The people of Bui Village were relocated beginning in 2010 and their former home flooded as Bui lake formed behind Bui Dam after 2013.
A new road (the "4th Republic Road") connecting Kanka directly to Ahenkro and bypassing Kabruno was built in about 1993. The newly grated road is seen here from the north side of Kanka, looking northward toward Ahenkro, visible in the distance. June, 1994.
By 1994, work on the 4th Republic Road (as it was then known) extended the grated motorable road from Kanka to Nyire. Westward view mid-way between Nyire and Kanka, June, 1994.
A woman carries a load of calabashes (chrԑ in Nafaanra) en route to Kabruno from Ahenkro during the dry season. View looking south from the south edge of Ahenkro on the old road that led directly into Kabruno. December, 1982.
Recently paved road connecting Ahenkro with the Wenchi-Bamboi road (N12) via Kanka. Photo taken in-between Nyire and the Kanka traffic circle leading to Ahenkro. 9 July, 2011.
View to the south on the old Bongase road, Banda hills to the right, roughly 3 km southwest of Bongase. The low area (ahead in the road) was inundated by flood waters as the lake formed behind Bui Dam after 2012. A bypass has been constructed and the road here now passable only by a narrow foot bridge. 18 June, 2016.
A new road (known in the 1990s as the 4th Republic Road) connected Kanka directly to Ahenkro, first as a grated road and, after completion of Bui Dam, as a paved road. Viewed here from the north edge of Kanka, looking northward, Ahenkro is visible in the distance. 18 June, 2016.
Road leading into Ahenkro from the south with the Banda hills in the background. Two cell phone towers are visible on the south edge of town and electrical power lines run along the east side of the road. The new market building located on the south side of Ahenkro is visible at the point where the road curves in the distance. A motorized three-wheeled car and a motor cycle travel on the road ahead. Ahenkro, 19 June, 2016.
View to the south on the Bongase road, roughly 1.7 km west of Bongase. The peak known as 'Chuli' is visible in mountain range to the right. 12 June, 2009.
View to the south on the Bongase road, roughly 3 km southwest of Bongase, with Banda hills visible to the right. The low area (ahead in the road) was inundated by flood waters as the lake formed behind Bui Dam after 2013. A bypass had to be constructed as this road became passable only by a narrow foot bridge. 12 June, 2009.
Construction of a new bridge to replace a long-used one over the Tombԑ River near Sabiye on the road from Menji to Ahenkro began in the 2010s. Its abutments are visible here, view to the north. Construction had stalled by 2016. Sabiye, 19 June, 2016.
An aerial view of Banda area settlements and roads, looking southeastward from the north side of Banda-Ahenkro, district administrative center since 2012 of the Banda District in Ghana's Bono (formerly Brong-Ahafo) Region. The linear range of Banda hills is visible in the background (right, top) with the compact core of Banda-Ahenkro center photo. To the west (right) and north (bottom), Ahenkro's houses are more dispersed than in its compact and older core. The left-hand fork of a Y-shaped road (center photo) is the main road that leads south towards Sabiye and Bofie to Menji. The right-hand fork is the now-bypassed old main road between Ahenkro and Kabruno. The road that extends horizontally across the left side of the photo is the paved road that extends from the Banda junction to the Wenchi-Bamboi road (N12). The clustered villages visible south of Ahenkro include Kanka, Kabruno, Sase, Gbao, Dompofie and Makala. To the west (photo's far right) of the Y-Junction, toward the base of the Banda hills, are light-green rectangular areas devoid of trees. These are fields once cleared for tobacco cultivation and now put to other forms of mono-cropping (single crop farming). To the east of Ahenkro (photo's far left) the angular straight edges and lighter green color of a cashew plantation stand out from the surrounding vegetation. Cashew has become an increasingly important cash crop grown in the area since the early 2000s. Two photos. Ahenkro, 25 June, 2019.
A typical side road leading to villages off the then-main road that connected Menji to Ahenkro in the Banda area. Tall grass lines the narrow track which was primarily used by lorries which transported agricultural products. December, 1982.
A no-trespassing sign posted by the Bui Power Authority along the paved Ahenkro-Bongase road several kilometers north of Ahenkro identifies "land under acquisition" by the Bui Power Authority (BPA). Electrical poles and wires run along the roadside. The large land parcel under acquisition by BPA has long been home to farms worked by families in Ahenkro and Bongase. These farms produce food for household consumption and cash crops, including cashew. View looking northward, Ahenkro-Bongase road, June, 2016.
Rights:
Creative Commons Attribution--NonCommercial
Publisher:
University of Victoria Libraries
Date:
2016-06-20
Location(s) Facet:
Ahenkro; Bongase
Subjects Facet:
Agriculture; Cash crops; Bui Dam (Ghana); Roads; Electrification