President John Mahama has indicated that construction work under the West Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) project will begin soon, assuring residents that steps are being taken to fast-track efforts to tackle ongoing coastal erosion challenges.
Speaking during a visit to affected communities in the Volta Region, he said government is committed to speeding up the implementation process.
“Very soon, you’ll see that work will start on your coastal area,” he stated.
He explained that the project has already progressed through key preparatory stages. “The feasibility study is finished. They are at the design stage. After the design stage, they’ll do the procurement. That is the actual construction of the WACA project,” he added.
The WACA project, supported by the World Bank with a funding envelope of $150 million, is aimed at protecting vulnerable stretches of Ghana’s coastline, including areas such as Ketu South and parts of Anloga.
The planned interventions cover a mix of hard engineering and nature-based solutions. These include the construction of sea defence structures, installation of groynes to reduce wave intensity, as well as mangrove restoration and coconut tree planting to help stabilise the shoreline.
Explaining the engineering approach, he said, “There’s going to be sea defence, and they’re also going to be groynes built into the sea to break the currents, the strong waves, so that it will come back to the coast in a very gentle manner.”
He also highlighted nature-based solutions being introduced as part of the intervention, noting that coconut trees would be planted along the beaches to help stabilise the soil. He added that mangroves would also be planted in the estuary to help protect the land from further sea encroachment.
According to him, the project experienced some delays in 2024 due to the election period but has since resumed. He assured that funding for the initiative remains intact, stating, “So your money is safe, and the project is going to go on.”
He further explained that although some World Bank-funded projects had been restructured, the WACA allocation was maintained to ensure the continuity of coastal protection works.
As part of interim measures, the government says it will collaborate with the Volta River Authority (VRA) to dredge the estuary in order to reduce pressure on the coastline.
“Normally, when the estuary is silted, it finds other routes to join the sea,” he explained. “If we dredge it, it allows more water to flow out into the sea.”
He added that these short-term interventions are meant to ease the immediate impact of coastal erosion while the full rollout of the WACA project is awaited.
The President ended by calling for the cooperation of residents, reiterating that the government remains committed to providing lasting solutions to coastal erosion.