Ghanaian-British athlete and activist Yvette Tetteh has made history as the first person to swim across the Volta River.
The agribusiness entrepreneur started her swimming journey from Buipe to Ada, a distance that stretched 450 kilometers.
This marks the longest recorded swim in Ghanaian history, and it might take years to be overtaken by anyone.
Yvette and the crew of The Or Foundation set out on this expedition to raise awareness about the impact of waste colonialism on the ecosystems.
Having completed the historic swim, Yvette was welcomed by parading drummers and dancers along the banks of the Volta River.
“The expedition started in Buipe on March 7th with the challenging task of putting the made-in-Ghana aluminum research vessel into the water,” she said, as quoted by Myjoyonline.
“The Swim Team, as members of the expedition crew have come to call themselves, then ventured down the Black Volta onto the Volta Lake, stopping in towns and villages along the way, many that have been flooded by rising waters and some that don’t appear on common maps at all.”
She added: “The expedition spent several days in Yeji to top up on supplies and creature comforts, including haircuts, and then continued on to Kete Krachi and Tapa Abotoase for minor boat repairs before swimming onward toward Kpando and Akosombo.”
Yvette and her team’s perseverance eventually paid off as she completed the historic swimming across the Volta River on Thursday, May 18, 2023.
