Abstract:
Small dams offer a lifeline to rural communities in northern Ghana during the dry season. The paper
discusses issues related to water use, socio-economic significance, and sustainability of small dams
following substantial State interventions and donor agency investments in the development and
management of small dams in Ghana. Through the lenses of political economy narrative, the paper
explores the political, economic and social realities that shape the development, operation, and
management of small dams. Evidence from sixteen small dams examined, using multiple indicator
approach revealed overall satisfactory to highly satisfactory performance indices for small dams.
Economic returns from irrigation offer incentives to improve performance but give limited account of
performance dynamics of small dams. A holistic view of values and priority attached to multiple uses
account for satisfactory performance. Whilst operational limitations of small dams prevail, the paper
argues that moving beyond ‘technical or engineering fix’ and focusing on limitations in national and
local institutional arrangements, politics, interests, and rights are crucial for effective planning,
management, and enhanced performance of small dams.
