A Feature by Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Nzulezu (W/R), July 28, GNA-Imagining a utopia, a place inhabited by people who live on water.
It would be a sheer delight to visit this wonderland and be awed by the beauty of its lagoon community.
These are the expectations of many people who visit Ghana’s tourism “paradise” in the Western Region: The famous Nzulezu Village.
A VILLAGE BORN FROM LEGEND, ROOTED IN ECOLOGY
Inhabited by the Nzema people, a local ethnic group in Ghana whose population extends into neighbouring CĂ´te d’Ivoire, Nzulezu is a unique tourism hub.
The population of the community is approximately 600 people who live an entire life cycle on water.
HISTORY
According to oral tradition, the people of Nzulezu migrated from Walata in present-day Mali over 500 years ago, led by a snail. They settled on Lake Tadane because they believed the water would protect them from slave raiders.
The name “Nzulezu” means “surface of water” in Nzema. For centuries, the lagoon has been both fortress and home.
Nzulezu sits on stilts above Lake Tadane, a freshwater coastal lagoon in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region. The lagoon is part of a delicate wetland ecosystem fringed by mangroves, raffia palms, and the iconic coconut trees synonymous with Nzema culture.
The water teems with tilapia and other fish species, which form the backbone of the local diet and economy.
The lagoon also serves as a natural buffer against coastal erosion and flooding. But this fragile ecosystem faces pressure from climate change, plastic waste, and the very tourism that sustains it. The balance between human settlement and nature here is both beautiful and precarious.
Visitors often enjoy activities such as canoeing while experiencing the rich culture and remarkable lifestyle of the community, although the village also faces several challenges.
Gliding across the lagoon to the actual village is an exciting experience.
What heightens the experience is the lush aquatic vegetation of various kinds, particularly the predominant coconut trees that line the banks and mark Nzema identity.
Yet as the boat nears the community, the utopian expectations give way to a harsher reality.
THE GAP BETWEEN ADMIRATION AND INCLUSION
An entry into the “utopian” lagoon community reveals a significant infrastructure gap.
The most pronounced challenge is the unavailability of life jackets — protective devices essential for safety on water.
One would expect that, since it is a village situated on a lagoon, life jackets would be among the most common items owned by community members.
However, although life jackets are considered a necessity, many residents do not own one, yet they sail on the water as naturally as people walk on land.
It is surprising that tourists are provided with life jackets, yet residents who live their everyday lives in the community do not have them.
The more disheartening revelation is that children paddle their individual canoes across the lagoon to schools in nearby communities every day without life jackets.
The structural defects of some of the stilt houses are also visible to tourists.
While some structures appear firm and stable, others seem weak and wobbly and would require expert intervention to strengthen them, as raffia wood and bamboo are the primary materials used.
Amenities such as schools, a mini clinic, and a community centre are available, but they are constrained by a significant shortage of human resources.
It appears that there are no resident medical professionals serving the community.
That situation is only part of the challenge.
The community also lacks emergency healthcare logistics and does not appear to have a state-run water ambulance service that reflects the geographical realities of the area.
In terms of education, the highest level of schooling available within the community is Primary Six.
This means that children must travel to neighbouring communities to pursue Junior High School education.
The unavailability of a water ambulance stands in stark contrast to tourist havens like Orealla and Siparuta river villages in Guyana, which operate a custom-built water ambulance for their residents.
This exposes the people of Nzulezu to various forms of vulnerability, as they have to sail across the lagoon every day to access something as basic as education and healthcare.
DEVELOPMENT THAT MEETS THE WATER
Despite these infrastructure gaps and visible challenges, the people of Nzulezu remain hopeful that conditions will improve.
They are hospitable people who welcome visitors with open arms, sharing their experiences and cultural heritage.
Going forward, what these people deserve is what every Ghanaian deserves: inclusion.
The people of Nzulezu must be made to feel that they are an integral part of Ghanaian society, and they should not have to endure such infrastructure deficits.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
They need a properly equipped clinic staffed by resident medical professionals who understand the cultural dynamics of the community. A deliberate policy to support and provide scholarships for young people to pursue health-related programmes would ensure long-term care rooted in the community.
A dedicated water ambulance and the provision of life jackets for every resident, not just tourists, are non-negotiable investments in human life.
EDUCATION
Expanding educational infrastructure to cover Junior and Senior High levels within the community, or providing safe, subsidised water transport, will restrain children from risking their lives to pursue education.
HOUSING AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE
Engineers and building experts must work with residents to advise on structural design and safety. As climate change, rising water levels, and stronger storms evolve, reliance solely on indigenous building techniques may prove inadequate.
Blending traditional knowledge with modern engineering and eco-friendly materials can make Nzulezu’s stilt houses safer, while mangrove restoration can protect the lagoon from destruction and support fish breeding.
ECONOMY AND ECOLOGY
Beyond tourism, government and private partners can support sustainable aquaculture, eco-tourism, and waste management systems that protect Lake Tadane. Digital inclusion and training in sustainable crafts can ensure Nzulezu becomes not just a place people visit, but a place where people thrive without destroying the ecosystem they depend on.
A PARADISE THAT MUST BE PROTECTED
Nzulezu is more than a postcard. It is a living testament to Ghanaian ingenuity, resilience, and harmony with nature — a 500-year-old community that chose water for safety and stayed for identity.
The coconut trees sway, the canoes glide, and the laughter of children echoes across the lagoon — but admiration alone cannot keep a child safe on her way to school, nor can it heal the sick or protect a lagoon from degradation.
If Ghana is truly committed to “leaving no one behind,” then Nzulezu must move from the margins of our imagination to the centre of our development agenda.
Let us build bridges — or rather, boats — of policy, investment, and care that reach this water-bound community.
For when we choose to include Nzulezu, we do more than preserve a tourist site. We honour a people. We protect a heritage. We safeguard an ecosystem. And we prove that development, like water, must flow to every corner of the nation — even to the houses that float.
GNA
Reporter: Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Email: [email protected]
Edited by: Samuel Osei-Frempong