Correspondence from Eastern Region

Tension is mounting in Adjena-Tafoman in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region following a renewed land dispute between the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Adjena Land Management Board.

Members of the board, clad in red attire to signify their dissatisfaction, reported to the Akosombo Police Command this week after being invited to assist in investigations into an alleged encroachment case reported by VRA and the Forestry Commission.

According to the board, the police invitation stemmed from claims that the community was encroaching on portions of the VRA’s maritime enclave. But the Adjena Land Management Board insists the VRA has no legitimate claim to the land in question, citing a failed agreement dating back almost a decade.

Speaking to the media, the secretary to the board, Onyaa Kwadwo, said the current dispute can be traced to discussions held in 2016 between VRA and the traditional authorities of Adjena. Those discussions, he said, led to an agreement that gave VRA permission to undertake certain activities within the maritime area under specific conditions.

“One of the key clauses required VRA to meet certain financial obligations to the community,” he explained. “The agreement was clear that failure to meet these obligations for three calendar months would result in automatic termination. They defaulted for more than that period, and when we engaged them, they openly said they were no longer interested in the agreement.”

Kwadwo added that following the breakdown of the agreement, the land—estimated at over 100 acres—was rented out to private investors who have since completed their registrations. However, the board claims VRA recently returned to express renewed interest in reclaiming the land, a move the chiefs and community leaders strongly rejected.

The matter escalated when the VRA allegedly removed a container placed by the land management board on a section of the property. “They carried our container away and have refused to return it for two weeks now,” Kwadwo alleged.


“They are using security forces to intimidate the community. But our message is clear: VRA should go to court if they believe they have a case. Their mandate is to generate hydropower—not to appropriate lands for investors,” he added.

Several indigenes echoed similar frustrations

Mohammed Atiemo, a resident, accused the VRA of decades of injustice against the people of Adjena. “From our forefathers till today, VRA has cheated us,” he noted.

Atiemo also alleged systemic discrimination, claiming indigenes were routinely denied employment opportunities at the VRA despite possessing required qualifications.

The residents have demanded that the VRA remove all signposts it has erected across the disputed area within one week, insisting they would “not sit aloof” while their lands are taken.

Another resident, Ama Asabea, linked the tension to unfulfilled resettlement promises dating back to the construction of the Akosombo Dam.

She claimed the community was displaced without receiving the schools and development support allegedly promised to them.

“Even the only senior high school in our community has been neglected,” she added. “They bring soldiers, Forestry personnel, even Navy officers to intimidate us. But we are now awake.”

The VRA has not yet publicly responded to the community’s renewed allegations.

The Akosombo Police Command are conducting further investigations into the issue.