Bagre (Burkina Faso), July 14, GNA - The Bagre Dam, in the Central East Province of Burkina Faso has been renovated and expanded to enable it take more water, and prevent frequent spillage that have for the past few years compounded the effects of floods in the Upper East Region of Ghana.

The height of the dam was increased by 1.5 metres and renovations done to strengthen its banks, at a cost of 18 Million Dollars, provided by the French Aid for International Development. Mr. Issaka Maiga, Burkinabe Minister of Agriculture, who at the weekend jointly commissioned the Dam with the French Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Mr. Francois Goldblatt at Bagre, said the Dam irrigated 30,000 hectares of land and contributed much to agriculture, covering crop, animal husbandry and fishing. He said irrigation farming had engaged most of the populace in the area and given young people meaningful employment that is keeping them off the streets. He explained that the Dam, built in 1994 had been renovated earlier at the cost of 33 million Dollars, but further works needed to be done to increase its capacity and limit spillage that was having adverse effects on Ghana.

Animal husbandry was an important industry in Burkina Faso and various crops besides the main tropical staples were doing well under irrigation and the country was exporting various fruits and foods including straw berry, mango, citrus fruits, vegetables and French potatoes. Mr. Goldblatt said his country took special interest in the Dam because of its contribution to agriculture, electricity and the great potential it has to promote development in the country. The Bagre Dam presently provided 10 per cent of the Burkina Faso's electricity needs, Mr. Siengui Apollinaire, Director of Generation and Transmission said.

Mr. Alhassan Samari, Upper East Regional Minister who led the Ghanaian delegation to the ceremony, noted that even though the Dam was in Burkina Faso, it was very important to Ghana as it was built on the Volta River which runs through Ghana. He said, "The Volta River especially the White Volta is like blood coursing through the veins of the bodies of our two countries, Ghana and Burkina Faso.

"A person with insufficient or bad blood is but a few steps away from the grave. In the same way the waters of this river are so vital to the economies and prosperity of the people of our two countries and we must do all we can to ensure sufficient and clean water at all times. "The things that sustain our lives should not be toyed with or taken for granted", Mr Samari said. He told the people of Burkina Faso that Ghana appreciated the good care they were taking of the Dam and River, as it served both Countries and the benefits would equally trickle down to the Upper East Region in Ghana. "My strong conviction is that from our previous experiences and what we are witnessing today, we in the two countries shall continue to reap the benefits of the White Volta for many generations," he noted. Ghana and Burkina Faso already have an agreement on the creation, composition, responsibility and cooperation of the Trans boundary Committee for the effective management of the resources of the White Volta Basin.