Management of Volta River Authority Resettlement Communities: A Case Study of Wusuta Resettlement Community in the Volta Region, Ghana

60 years after the construction of the Akosombo Dam Project in Ghana and the subsequent creation of 52 resettlement townships, the resettlement communities are agitating for better living conditions as many are rendered homeless and denied their sources of livelihood. The Volta River Development Act (1961) Act 46 provides that when the state acquires or takes possession of any land compulsorily, it will be incumbent on the state to resettle the displaced inhabitants on suitable alternative land with due regard for their economic well-being and social and cultural values. Further, the development of the Wusuta resettlement town, one of the 52 resettlement communities, has not fulfilled the affected people's dreams. This study aims to assess the standard of living of the settlers before the inundation and their current living conditions in terms of economic, social and cultural values. The researcher relied on both primary and secondary data to undertake the study. The study area consisted of 220 households, of which 140 household heads were purposively sampled from the community using pre-determined selection criteria, and 10 original landowners and five officials from the VRA were interviewed. Descriptive statistics and t-test statistical analysis were adopted for the study. The t-test statistical analysis was adopted to assess the standard of living of the settlers before the inundation and after the impoundment. Some problems identified as affecting the inhabitants of the resettlement community include unemployment, lack of portable water, poor maintenance culture, and erosion and flooding. The study further revealed the lack of farmlands, and legal title to parcels of land so occupied as a major concern for the people of Wusuta. The research recommends the provision of completed houses and portable drinking water, and legal title to both residential and farmlands. The study further recommended the establishment of VRA Trust Funds to cater for developmental projects, as well as the integration of the resettlement community into the District Assembly structure as some of the measures to be adopted to enhance the living conditions of the settlers.