1980 Upper Voltan coup d'état up against the President, which caused the 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état, in which Lieutenant Colonel Sangoulé Lamizana took power. This marked the beginning of a long era of military rule in Upper Volta and later Burkina Faso. Lamizana would go on to rule the country as a military dictator until the Upper Voltan presidential election in 1978, when he was elected as the leader of a civilian regime. During the 1970s, the Lamizana government faced many problems, among them continued opposition from the trade unions, the rise of new political opposition groups, a strong Sahel drought, increasing desertification, and
Volta River plant generates electricity for the Volta River Authority, and the reservoir also provides water transport routes. It may be a resource for irrigation and fish farming. The depth of the river is about below Lake Volta. The Volta River is crossed by the Adome Bridge just below the Akosombo Dam. The Volta River was named by Portuguese gold traders in Ghana. It was their farthest extent of exploration before returning ("volta" is Portuguese for "twist" or "turn"). ""River of return"" (perhaps because it was where ships turned around and headed for home) or “river of the bend”, in reference to