The Amedzofe traditional authority, in collaboration with Herp Conservation Ghana, has officially commissioned a 140-meter canopy walkway over the Ote falls on November 18th, 2022.
The facility will pride itself on being the first of its kind in the volta region, also making it the 3rd main attraction site for travel lovers frequenting Amedzofe. This advancement is expected to attract numerous cultural and natural adventure travelers to Ghana.
THE PEOPLE OF AMEDZOFE.
The Amedzofe community is popular for being the “city in the sky” as is the highest human settlement in Ghana (2400 ft above sea level). Cash crop farming is the main occupation with petty trade done by a portion of the female population.
At Amedzofe, there is a fascinating mix of sites to experience. They have a cherished culture, a new canopy walkway, the Ote waterfalls, and the picturesque Gemi Mountain which is the second-highest Mountain in Ghana with its evergreen landscape.
Identifying sites as tourist destination development and providing compelling experiences, and top-notch services are key factors that inform travel decisions. To satisfy this need and in a way to conserve biodiversity, Herp Ghana took the initiative to establish a canopy walkway and add value to the Amedzofe tourist destination.
THE CANOPY WALKWAY.
The Amedzofe Canopy Walkway is a Conservation and Ecotourism Project funded by Herp – Ghana in partnership with the people of Amedzofe. The Amedzofe canopy walkway is about a 140m bridge that goes across the Ote falls and offers you a stunning view of both the waterfall and comprises the forest with endangered species like the whistling frog.
Canopy hikers may admire the splashing sound of the falls and can also be baptized by the sprinkle of water when they go across the falls. Just as every way up is difficult, there are 259 adventuresome stairways to get to the walkway. The efforts to do this walk guarantee health benefits such as weight loss and help reduce your risk of heart disease. Communing with nature is a plus.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.
In the early days of November 2022, National Geographic listed Ghana as one of the best places to visit in the fast-approaching year 2023. Ghana was featured in the “community” category to replace the category of “sustainability” which will seek to showcase how conservation is beneficial and improve the livelihood of the communities. National Geographic in announcing this feat, urged travelers to “head to Ghana, to explore black heritage.”
MUST-SEE ATTRACTIONS AROUND AMEDZOFE.
There are overlapping tourist attractions in the Volta region of Ghana. Visitors going to Amedzofe have the chance to easily adjust plans to see other beautiful nearby places such as Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, Afadzato, and Tagbo falls at Liate Wote. Others include Wli Waterfalls, Kente weaving village at Abuife, and Ho museum, all in proximity.
CLIMATE CHANGE & THE NEED FOR ECO-TOURISM.
In a brief commissioning ceremony, the founder of Herp Ghana, Dr. Caleb Ofori-Boateng who dabbles as the brain behind the canopy walkway, cited water bodies, forests, and animals, collectively called biodiversity, as the reasons life exists on the planet.
In a statement during the ceremony, Dr. Caleb, said “Plants and animals are so key to our survival and are severely threatened.”
The World Wildlife Fund report last year shows that already 60% of species on our planet have recently declined because of human action, he lamented.
According to United Nations Millennium Ecosystem, Assessment 2019, 1 million out of the 8 million species risk extinction because of human activities.
“Hon Regional minister whilst we are trying to wrap our heads around this biodiversity extinction crisis, we also have the challenges of global Climate change to deal with.” he acknowledged.
“Preliminary data shows that global CO2 emissions in 2022 (January to May) are 1.2% above the levels recorded during the same period in 2019. These increase in C02 and other greenhouse gas emissions leads to shifts in temperature, rainfall, sea-level rise, and very unpredictable weather which can all have drastic impacts on human health”, Dr. Caleb cautioned.
In educating the audience, he said, ” Already global warming is increasing. Warming has severe effects on all of us.” He revoked several studies that have shown the link between the destruction of the environment as a result of climate change and the spread of diseases. For example, he said, “scientists speculate that when there’s a 2 to 3% increase in global temperatures, the number of people who will contract malaria will also increase by 5%.”
As complex as this is, Dr. Caleb proffered solutions by convincing the community to cut down on emissions, protect the forest cover, and stop the cutting down of trees by replanting the forest that has been degraded.
“What we can all do is reverse biodiversity loss while protecting the global planet. Conserving biodiversity is why we are here”, he announced. “We are here to build together the communities here in Amedzofe, Gbadzeme, and Akorme, and to use ecotourism as a tool to support the livelihoods of the communities which so support this conservation initiative, Dr. Caleb Ofori-Boateng, added.