Volta Region

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Volta Region (or Volta), is one of Ghana's sixteen administrative regions, with Ho designated as its capital. It is located west of Republic of Togo and to the east of Lake Volta. Divided into 25 administrative districts, the region is multi-ethnic and multilingual, including groups such as the Ewe, the Guan, and the Akan peoples. The Guan peoples include the Lolobi, Likpe, Akpafu, Buem, and Nkonya (now part of Oti region) people, et al. This region was carved out of the Volta Region in December 2018 by the New Patriotic Party.

Background

The Volta region was formed by the state union of the former British Togoland which was part of the German protectorate of Togoland. It was administered as part of the Gold Coast by the British and later renamed Trans-Volta Togoland.

Demographics

The native and largest ethnic group of the Volta Region (Togoland / British Togoland) are the Ewe people (68.5% of the population). They consist of several sub groups such as the Anlo Ewe, Tongu Ewe, Wedome and Avenor Ewe. Other ethnicities include the Guan people (forming 9.2% of the population), the Akan people (8.5%), and the Gurma people (6.5% of the population).

Administration

The Volta region is run by a Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and a District Assembly. The RCC is made up of the Volta Regional Minister who is the political head and his deputy as well as representatives of the Regional House of Chiefs, the District Chief Executives of the Volta region, the Presiding Members of the 12 Districts Assemblies and representatives of the various decentralized Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the Volta region. Each district is run by a District Assembly.

Districts of the Volta Region

Before the regional demarcation in December 2018,[10] the region had 25 districts consisting of 5 municipal and 20 ordinary districts with all the administrative changes as of December 2012. After the census, the Oti Region was carved out of it, reducing the size of the region and the number of administrative districts to 18.

Constituencies

There are 18 constituencies in the region after the Oti Region was carved out of it. Previously Volta Region had 19 constituencies in the election in December 2000 and 24 constituencies in December 2004 parliamentary election. Four new constituencies were created by the Electoral Commission prior to the December 2012 parliamentary election, increasing the number of constituencies to 26.

Education

Health

The Volta Regional Hospital is located at Ho. It is popularly referred to as Trafalgar. The inception of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) at Ho has led to it being redesignated as the Ho Teaching Hospital in 2019. Other government run health facilities in the capital are the Ho Municipal Hospital and the Ho Polyclinic. Hospitals in the region include: 

Togoland Congress

The Togoland Congress (TCP) was a political party formed in 1951 to campaign for the unification of the Ewe people in British Togoland and French Togoland as a separate Ewe state. The party was defeated in the May 1956 UN plebiscite in British Togoland, which resulted in the unification of British Trans-Volta Togoland with Gold Coast, which later became independent as Ghana.

On 9 May 1956, a vote was conducted to decide the future disposition of British Togoland and French Togoland. The native and dominant ethnic group, the Ewe people, were divided between the two Togos. British Togoland inhabitants voted in favor of state union with the Gold Coast, and the Togo Ewe state was incorporated with Gold Coast.

There was vocal opposition to the incorporation of Togoland into modern Ghana, from the Ewe people who voted (42%) against in British Togoland, as the Ewe wanted the unification of the Ewe people in British Togoland and French Togoland as a separate Ewe state (modern Togo).

Recently, a campaign for the cessation of some part of the Volta Region from Ghana to be known as "Western Togoland" is being led by a group calling itself Homeland Study Group Foundation. The group is led by Charles Kormi Kudzodzi.

Tourism