Dam · Ghana
How much did Akosombo Dam cost to build?
Akosombo Dam is a rock-fill hydroelectric dam on Ghana's Volta River, owned and operated by the Volta River Authority. The original dam, power station and transmission project was built from 1961 to 1965, creating Lake Volta and requiring the resettlement of about 80,000 people. Its first four generating units formed Stage I; two more units were added later, and subsequent upgrades brought the plant's current stated capacity to 1,020 MW. The main dam is 660 metres long, its axis rises 111 metres from bedrock, and Lake Volta stores about 148 billion cubic metres. Ghana's presidency reported all six turbines back in full operation in May 2026.
Final project cost
$196 million
Cost basis: 1965
Cost record
How the cost changed
Budgets, contracts and final costs may cover different stages. Each figure keeps its own year and source.
Final project cost
1965$196 million
documents1.worldbank.orgOriginal budget
1961$190 million
documents1.worldbank.orgProject metrics
Key dimensions
- Total lengthVolta River Authority
- 660 m
- HeightVolta River Authority
- 111 m
- PowerVolta River Authority
- 1,020 MW
- Storage volumeVolta River Authority
- 148,000,000,000 m³
Project record