Volta Region

With the exception of the south, most part of the region, that is north from Ho, was part of the German colony of Togoland. The south most part, which was first colonized by the Danes and later on transferred to the British, was administered as part of the Gold Coast, now Ghana.

After the defeat of the Germans in World War I, the German colony of Togoland was partitioned. One portion was placed under the protectorate of Britain and became known as the British Togo. The other, under French protectorate, became the French Togo, now the Republic of Togo.

Both Togo under the British protectorate and Togo under the French protectorate were under the umbrella and supervision of the Trusteeship Council of the League of Nations, now the United Nations.

While Togoland under French Trusteeship was administered by its own Governor appointed by the French, the British protectorate of Togoland, later to be known as the Trans-Volta Togo (TVT), and then as the Volta Region (VR), was administered by the Governor of the Gold Coast who reported on the British protectorate directly to the Trusteeship Council of the League of Nations, now the United Nation (U.N). In 1954, the U.N sent a Visiting Team to the British Togoland. This team recommended a plebiscite to be held in 1956 to decide on the wishes of the people on the issues of whether the Trust Territory should be integrated into, or secede from, the Gold Coast.

The native and largest ethnic group of the Volta Region (Togoland / British Togoland) are the Ewe people who make up 92.3% of the population. They consist of several sub groups. Other ethnicities include the Ga-Dangme people also forming 4.0% of the population. The third largest ethnic group is the Gurma people from Burkina Faso in the north, forming 3.1% of the population. Also present are the Mole from Burkina Faso, Dagomba people from Burkina Faso, Grusi people from Burkina Faso, and the Mande speaking Bissa people also from Burkina Faso, all forming 1.1% of the population.

Administration

The Volta region is run by a Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and a District Assembly. The RCC is made up of the Volta Regional Minister who is the political head and his deputy as well as representatives of the Regional House of Chiefs, the District Chief Executives of the Volta region, the Presiding Members of the 12 Districts Assemblies and representatives of the various decentralized Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the Volta region. Each district is run by a District Assembly.