Ghana Maritime Authority

An aquatic weed harvester clearing invasive water hyacinth at Kpong dam, Ghana.

Water hyacinth is rapidly spreading across southern Ghana’s Lake Volta, severely impacting fishing, depleting fish stocks, and threatening local livelihoods. The water hyacinth, a free-floating aquatic plant native to the Amazon River basin in South America, is renowned for its rapid growth and attractive lavender-blue flowers.

It is also considered to be one of the world’s most invasive species. Ghana’s Western Region first reported water hyacinth in 1984 along the River Tano. It spread to other water bodies, including Lake Volta, which is behind a hydroelectric dam that generates much of the country’s electricity.

Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has raised concerns over the major environmental and economic threat posed by the rapid spread of the plant.