“ –Money does not like noise, sika mpɛ dede –” The current president of Ghana ends his address to the Nation about the current economic hardship that has become a familiar reality. This means, money only appears in places of quiet and silence. The town of Old Akrade (South of the Volta) knows these two terms all too well; ever since the ferry crossing that used to center the town right in the middle of economic movements between Greater Accra and Volta regions was closed down, one has to just take a walk through the now ghost town to learn the true meaning of these words. Money eludes the place though. The Adomi Bridge, the connecting factor between the above-mentioned regions through the Volta Lake was shut down in March 2014 for renovation and rehabilitation purposes. This pushed the once unknown town of Old Akrade (most especially) and Senchi into the limelight and forefront of economic activities as both towns were located on the right sides of the volta lake; the initial on the Greater Accra side and the former on the Volta side for commercial ferry movement. Cars, buses, motorcycles and human beings who wanted to cross from one side of the lake (region) to another had to do so via huge commercial ferries that the government purchased to serve this temporal purpose while the bridge repair was underway.
Two years of these ferry activities created a busy and lucrative entrepreneurial space that residents of these two towns could make sustaining living out of. From both young and older men moving individuals and goods that could not wait for the bigger ferries in their little boats and canoes across the lake to women and children selling food and wares along the lake to visitors and crossers. Sometimes the car traffic could go as far back as out of the town into the main roads, so this means customers were never short. Noise and business was part of the town's landscape but money was a resident.
After 2 years of rehabilitation, the bridge was reopened and the economic activities shifted again from these two towns back to the Atimpoku area. Perhaps a movement too sharp and too sudden because what was once one of the most vibrant towns south of Akosombo can rightfully be termed a ghost town now. With the presence of the international holiday resort Royal Senchi in the town of Senchi, the town still holds a powerful economic presence in the area with new visitors every weekend. This is not the same for Old Akrade on the other side of the lake as a walk through the town shows a glaring absence of youth due to migration, homes that are almost at the end of their lives and a silence that is almost deafening. The spirit of hardwork is still very much alive though with those left behind venturing into economic enterprises to put food on the table; fishing and fish farming for the older folks and Okada (motor transporters) being the most popular among young people still in town. Like the dog is the hunter's best friend, the relationship between a young man and his motorcycle in these parts is not to be trifled with. It is not uncommon for the continuous quiet and stillness of the town to be shaken up every now and then by the heavy sound of a rider playing/flexing with their motor, perhaps the playful reminder of enterprise in a ghost town.
