TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
Beaches:
The Keta District has some of the most beautiful sandy beaches full of coconut trees in West Africa. The beaches are relatively clean. The sea is rough and shallow up to about 1 to 2 nautical miles in some places. The best beaches can be found at :
 The Volta Estuary Areas from Azizanu to Atiteti.
Woe – Cape St. Paul and adjoining areas.
Keta-Dzelukope areas such as Tegbi.
Kedzi areas.
Anloga and adjoining areas.
The clean beaches require investments in yatches and hotels. The sea is very rich in various types of fishes, ranging from the tiny anchovies, marlins, to big sharks and groupers. These fishes are caught by the local fisherfolk, using various types of nets and hooks. The giant sea turtle comes out of the sea in the night to scoop a nest to lay eggs and in the sand between November and February.
The place most favoured for hatching it’s young is around the estuary of the Volta. The main turtles found are the green turtle, leatherback and Olive Ridley, which are highly endangered elsewhere.
Lagoons:
The Keta Lagoon is the most important lagoon in the Keta District. It is the largest of its kind in Ghana, measuring 40 by 8 kilometres. It has many creeks.
Its fresh and brackish water contains fishes like the tilapia, mudfish, and a variety of crabs and shrimps. Other lagoons are the Avu and the Angaw. These lagoons along with their catchment areas and the coastal wetlands of south-eastern Ghana have been designated Ramsar sites, to conserve the large population of migratory and resident birds as well as the marine turtles.
Islands:
There are a number of islands in the Keta lagoon, for example, Seva and Dudu. These islands have a lot of birds. There is a bird’s sanctuary on one of the islands called Xevikpodzi ( Bird Sanctuary ). Thousands of birds migrate to the islands in the lagoons during certain times of the year, hence the declaration of the coastal wetlands of Anlo-Keta as Ramsar sites. The main birds are gulls, terns, kingfishers, heron and king reed hen ( found only in the Anlo-Keta Ramsar site ).
A thorough research needs to be done by ornithologists and ecologists to determine the types of birds that breed, nest, rest and feed in the Ramsar Sites, and what needs to be done in order not to destroy the ecology.
Mangrove Swamps:
Along the banks of the numerous creeks and the lagoons as well as the shores of the Volta River Estuary are extensive growth of mangrove swamps - mostly of the red and white types. The mangrove swamps have varied ecology and play important roles in stabilizing the coast land. They are used as fuelwood, for drying nets, dye making, and generally in the home for building.
Monumental Buildings:
There is an 18th Century Fort, Fort Prinzenstein, built in 1784 by the Danes at Keta. This Fort played a significant role in the slave trade involving Europeans in West Africa, the Caribbean and southern U.S.A. Apart from a small fort in Benin Republic( formerly Dahomey ) and Senegal, the fort at Keta is the only ancient European-built fort of its kind east of the Volta River which is close to the slave coast of Dahomey ( Benin). Parts of it have been destroyed by the angry waves of the sea, but a significant portion remains to tell a sad story. There are a lot to see in the Fort including documents on the slave trade, where slaves were taken to, who bought them etc.
Shallot Farms:
There are beautiful shallot farms at Anloga and its immediate environs. The farmers engage in intensive agricultural practices, using the same parcel of land all year round with locally made compost. Water to irrigate the farm lands is got from shallow wells. It is fascinating to see the farmers at work and the seedlings ever so green. It is said that it is only in the Tonga Islands in the South Pacific Ocean that one can find a similar practice.
Convent and Cemetery:
One can find the old Keta Convent, which had trained a lot of women. There is also a cemetery where dead catechists and church leaders were buried. There is also the tomb of Bishop Augustine Herman, a notable and highly respected Catholic Bishop. He opened the then Keta Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, by name St. Michael’s Church. Bishop Herman College ( now Secondary School ) at Kpando, has been named after him.
Lighthouse:
There is a lighthouse at Woe, not far from Keta, which directs ships during the night. Its architecture is very unique. It is also believed that there is a huge underwater mountain off the coast of Woe, which necessitated the building of the lighthouse.
Festivals:
On the first Saturday of every November, a grand durbar of chiefs and people is held at Anloga, the traditional home of the Anlo-speaking Ewes. The durbar forms a significant part of the week-long Hogbetsotso Festival, which commemorates the migration of the Anlo-Ewes from the ancient walled city of Notsie in present-day northern Togo, to their present abode in Ghana. They claimed they escaped the tyranny of a “wicked ”chief, Agorkoli, by walking “backwards” amid drumming and dancing to war songs.
Boat Cruising on Keta Lagoon and Volta River Estuary :
There is the urgent need for a private investor to provide canoes fitted with out-board motors for use on the Keta Lagoon for bird-watching and for cruising Angaw Lagoon to the Volta River Estuary.
Visitor Receptive Facilities:
A number of beach resorts could be developed by private investors at Atiteti, Woe, Anloga, and Keta, whilst lodges could likewise be developed in some of the sites.
Big Time Fishing :
Opportunities can be provided by the Keta District Assembly for interested investors to engage in big time fishing in the sea and the Volta Estuary. A popular fish by name marlins are available in the sea in Keta.
Wind Surfing And Water Skiing:
There are possibilities for the development of these sports both on the lagoons and in the sea by private investors. Scuba-Diving:
The sea off the coast of Keta and the Volta River Estuary are excellent for Scuba-Diving. |
