By Joshua Akookorkoo
Anyako is a fishing community in the Keta Municipality in the Volta region of Ghana. Majority of the locals are fisherfolks and traders.
Anyako is bordered at the south by the Keta lagoon near Tsiame, Heluvi, Abor, Weme and Atiavi. The inhabitants of the town mainly belong to the Ewe tribe. The town traces its establishment to a settlement founded by the Anlos during the migration from Notsie in present-day Togo.
Anyako is a small island, perhaps a peninsula within the Keta lagoon. It is believed that the island was first inhabited by two brothers. The first brother Kpebiseyisu settled on the end of the island and called it Konu (Kpoanu) meaning, the end of the island. His younger brother Anya settled in the middle of the island and named it Anyako after himself.
Anyako-Konu is basically a twin town, however, the two towns are almost always referred to as Anyako. If you are going to this area, check out Abor, Weme, Sasieme, Heluvi, Atsiame and many more.
It is one of the towns in the Volta region that have more storey buildings. This is to manage a land space and also to protect themselves from the occasional tidal waves. This gives the town a tourism value.
The Anyako lagoon, which is also called Anlo – Keta lagoon is the largest of the over 90 lagoons that cover the 550km stretch of the coastline of Ghana. This lagoon is 126.13km in length. It is located in the eastern coast of Ghana and separated from the Gulf of Guinea by a narrow strip of sandbar. This open salty water is surrounded by flood plains and mangrove swamps. Together they form the Keta lagoon ramsar site which covers an area of 1200km. There are seasonal inflows of sea water during high tide from the Gulf of Guinea and also from some smaller streams. The streams which drain into the lagoon include the Aka, the Tordzi and Belikpa which enter the lagoon from the north.
The lagoon is surrounded by many settlements. The towns include Anloga, Woe, Keta and Kedzi to the south, Atiavi and Anlo – Afiadenyigba to the north. Kodzi, Alakple and Tregui to the west and Denu and Adina to the east.
Over the years, population growth, extensive human activities and climate change contributed to the reduction in volume of water in the lagoon.
During major fishing seasons, the place is a sight to behold. Canoes are dotted all over the lagoon as fishermen go on their fishing expeditions. The shores are crowded with people, mostly fish mongers, who wait for the fishermen to arrive.
If authorities could develop the tourism potentials of the lagoon, it would help protect the water body and also help better the economic conditions of the people.
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