admin | November 1, 2026
In Tahiru Akurah, a small farming community in the Kintampo Municipality of Ghana’s Bono East Region, daily life has always been shaped by the seasons. Surrounded by a forest reserve and largely sustained by small-scale agriculture, farmers cultivate maize, yams, groundnuts, cowpeas, and vegetables, relying heavily on rainfall to support both their crops and their households. In recent years, however, the rhythm of those seasons has become less predictable. Community members described how prolonged dry periods and increasing water scarcity have made everyday life more difficult, particularly in accessing water for cooking, drinking, washing clothes, and farming. For many households, finding water often meant traveling long distances, a routine that gradually became more demanding as dry seasons stretched longer.
Community listening group listened to ADARS FM NBS program,
They slowly began to understand climate adaptation in more practical terms, hearing discussions about water conservation, ecosystem protection, and locally-driven responses to environmental change.
The community looked for a solution to their own water situation, and discussed constructing a dam themselves to secure a more reliable water source. The group linked the knowledge gained through the radio programs with the reality they were facing each dry season.
The community’s advocacy efforts led them to secure funding through the World Bank’s Ghana Productive Safety Net Project II. The project provided technical guidance and resources to move the dam project forward. Today, the construction effort involves about 105 community members, with about 60% of the participants being women.
Work begins early each morning, with participants clocking in at 7 a.m. and finishing at 11. An engineer from the Safety Net project provides on-site technical assistance. Men and youth dig pits that shape the dam basin. Women carry sand from the pits using headbands, and older women care for children at a nearby nursery. Community members had been prepared to use their own tools for this project, although the funding later provided the needed equipment.
The World Bank funding provides a stipend for these efforts from community members, but they say the real incentive is better access to water. Even before th work is completed, the impact is already visible. Water is beginning to collect in the reservoir, and both Tahiru Akurah and neighbouring communities are drawing from it.
The water still requires treatment with alum before use, but the difference it has made to daily life is already clear. Community members no longer have to travel long distances to get water for domestic or farming activities. And water was still available in November, during the dry period.
Alongside the construction work itself, the radio programs continue to shape knowledge and how community members think about protecting the environment. Listeners recalled hearing discussions about planting trees around water sources to help preserve them and prevent contamination, as well as messages from other communities encouraging people not to cut trees for fuelwood, because trees improve air quality and support climate mitigation.
For the people of Tahiru Akurah, the dam represents something they take pride in, not only for the water it provides but also for the collective effort that went into it. Community members explained that much of the construction has been carried out through their own strength and cooperation, reflecting that “we are proud that we constructed the dam ourselves” and that the effort has already improved daily life by making water more accessible within the community.