Burkina Faso dam releases impact Ghana

In early August 2026 Burkina Faso finished a three‑month rehabilitation of the Kokologho Dam, raising its storage to over 806,000 cubic metres and enabling a 25‑hectare irrigation scheme for rice, maize, vegetables, aquaculture and fish farming. The project is intended to create jobs for youth and women and strengthen national food security.

At the same time the country's Water Resources Commission warned that the Bagre Dam, currently about 63 % full, could begin a controlled water spillage from 11 August if its level reaches 234 metres. The release would affect downstream communities along the White Volta River in northern Ghana.

Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) subsequently warned residents of the North East Region that the planned spillage could flood farms along the White Volta basin, threatening crops such as maize, rice, millet and vegetables. Authorities urged farmers, fishermen, herders and other residents to relocate, harvest early where possible, avoid flooded fields and follow safety instructions.