Hohoe: Home of vast tourism potentials

The Hohoe Constituency, one of the 18 constituencies in the Volta Region located in the Hohoe Municipality, boasts a lot of tourism potential capable of transforming the local economy and the national revenue when fully harnessed.

It has beautiful landscapes and numerous eco-tourism sites that make it one of the most important places of interest in the country.

The highest waterfall in West Africa, Wli Waterfalls, is located at Wli, near Hohoe, likewise the Tsatsadu Waterfalls at Alavanyo.

The municipality, known as the commercial capital of the Volta Region, has a total land area of 1,172 square kilometres, which is 5.6 per cent of the land area in the Volta Region.

A market scene in Hohoe

It shares borders with the Republic of Togo on the east, forming part of Ghana’s international frontier; on the south-east by Afadjato South District and south-west by Kpando Municipality.

 On the north it is bordered by Jasikan District and on the north-west by the Biakoye District.

The administrative capital, Hohoe, is about 78 km from Ho, the regional capital, and 220 km from Accra, the national capital.

The area now has a population of about 60,000, made up of 52.1 per cent females and 47.9 per cent males.

Residents of the area are mostly public servants, farmers, traders, auto mechanics and artisans.

Monuments

Among the sterling monumental features Hohoe has are the Fred Binka School of Public Health of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), and the Volta Regional Hospital.

Others are the St Theresa’s College of Education, St Francis College of Education, and Hohoe Midwifery Training School.

The second cycle institutions in the area are well known for their high standards. Among them are Hohoe E.P. Senior High School, Alavanyo Senior High Technical School, Agate Senior High School and Afadjato Senior High Technical School.

The then Hohoe District, which was created in 1979, was elevated to municipal status in 2008.

A traffic scene in Hohoe

With a bustling central market, the shuttle taxis and okada (motorbikes) are common features in Hohoe.

The market attracts patrons from all over Ghana and neighbouring Togo.

The Volta North Police Command is in Hohoe, where crime is very low.

For now, the concern of the people is the replacement of the street lights along the town’s principal streets.

Rich culture

One event which attracts people from far and near to Hohoe is the Gbi Dukor Festival which showcases the rich culture of the people.

The regalia of the chiefs and queenmothers, and the variety of dances by the various cultural troupes hold visitors at the festive durbar spellbound.

Statue of Monica Amekoafia in Hohoe, winner of first Miss Ghana Pageant

The municipality’s readiness to host visitors from all over the world is evident in the 50 hotels and guest houses in Hohoe and the nearby communities.

Gbledi in the Hohoe Municipality is just about three minutes from Liati-Wote in the Afadjato South District by road, and between the two communities is Mountain Afadja, the highest mountain in Ghana.

Taking prominence in the centre of Hohoe is the statue of the first Miss Ghana and native of Alavanyo-Dzogbedze in the Hohoe Municipality, Monica Amekoafia, who represented the then Trans-Volta Togoland in 1957.

Political dynamics

The Hohoe Constituency is considered a stronghold for the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

 The NDC has won the parliamentary seat in the past six elections until the 2020 general election when the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) snatched the seat for the first time.

Thomas Worlanyo Tsekpo — Hohoe NDC parliamentary candidate

The current Member of Parliament (MP) for Hohoe Constituency is John-Peter Amewu.

He made history in the 2020 general election when he became the first candidate of the NPP to win the seat. Mr Amewu, who is also the

Minister of Railways Development was maintained as the NPP parliamentary candidate for the 2024 general election after going unopposed in the January 27, 2024, parliamentary primaries.

In the 2020 general election, Mr Amewu polled 26,952 votes, representing 55.26 per cent, to defeat the NDC parliamentary candidate, Margaret Kweku, who secured 21,821 votes, representing 44.74 per cent.

The other candidates in that election were Oyie William of the Convention People’s Party and Bali Emmanuel of the National Democratic Party who had no votes.

The NDC, determined to reclaim the seat it lost in its stronghold in 2020, has changed its candidate for the 2024 general election.

The NDC parliamentary candidate for this year’s parliamentary election is Thomas Worlanyo Tsekpo.

With personal resources and support from his network of friends, Mr Amewu, the incumbent MP, has built an astro turf football pitch for the constituency.

Mr Amewu is still very much in touch with the people of his constituency and is poised to retain the seat for the NPP.

He helped to build the Santa Esther Girls’ Senior High School at Wli.

 The school, which was opened in 2021, has since been absorbed by the government.

Meanwhile, the NDC parliamentary candidate for the area, Mr Tsekpo, is optimistic of wrestling the seat back for the NDC.

John-Peter Amewu — MP for Hohoe

“I come into this contest with a broad base experience from the youth front as a former Volta Regional Youth Organiser, knowing very well that we have four major tertiary campuses in the Hohoe Constituency which we must tap into for victory 2024,” he said at a recent forum.

He said all was set for the lost seat to return to the NDC.

Chiefs

The Paramount Chief of Gbi, Togbe Gabusu VII, said the Volta Regional Hospital needed the appropriate infrastructural facilities to befit its status, adding that the buildings were too old.

Togbega Gabusu VII, Paramount Chief of Gbi

He mentioned job creation for the youth and the completion of the Eastern Corridor Road project as areas which needed priority attention.

For his part, the Paramount Chief of Alavanyo Traditional Area, Togbe Tsedze Atakora VII, when contacted, maintained that apart from the road between Kpando-Konda and Gbi Wegbe, which was constructed during the era of former President John Mahama, and the recently built Bui Power Project at Alavanyo-Wudidi, an important part of the Hohoe municipality, Alavanyo, had nothing to rejoice over.

He said a recent project to put up apartments for the police at Alavanyo was abandoned at the roofing stage.

MCE

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Hohoe, Noble Awume, in a recent interview with the Daily Graphic, said the governing NPP had laid down the appropriate infrastructure in various communities in the Hohoe Municipality for the area to accelerate development this year.

Noble Awume (middle), Hohoe MCE, with some local tourists at the Wli Waterfall

For instance, he mentioned the drilling and mechanisation of a borehole and the installation of a 5,000-litre storage tank at the CHPS compound at Alavanyo-Dzogbedze, and similar facilities at Alavanyo-Wudidi, Gbi Avega, Gbledi-Gborgame, Gbledi-Chebi, Fodoma-Hloma, and Wli-Afegame, saying the facilities, if completed, would significantly contribute to the comfort of the people.

On education, the MCE said the construction of a three-unit kindergarten classroom block for Fodome-Dzome, a two-unit kindergarten block at Fodome-Dzokpe, and a six-unit classroom block at Fodome-Amle Basic School were key development projects undertaken by the government.

 Noble Awume (arrowed), Hohoe MCE, leading some officials to inspect the new Hohoe Central Market

“The new ultra-modern Hohoe Central Market would open up the municipality to brisk economic activities,” he said.

The market has 106 lockable stores and 44 sheds.

Mr Awume said the projects were carried out at a total cost of over GH¢1 billion between 2022 and 2023.

Eastern Corridor Road    

He was optimistic that the completion of the Eastern Corridor Road project, which runs through the municipality, would lead to a boom in the local economy as the road would provide a faster link between Accra and the Oti Region as well as other parts of the north of the country.

The MCE gave an assurance that the project would be completed soon.