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A US$3.2 million eco-friendly and community-transformative agenda, the “Improving Resilience of Coastal Communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana Project”, has been launched at Whuti in the Anloga District of the Volta Region.
Apart from promoting climate adaptation, the project, which was launched last Wednesday, also seeks to ensure that vulnerable communities are not left behind in the fight against climate change.
The community-driven project, spanning 34 months, is anchored on early warning systems, nature-based solutions, and climate-resilient livelihoods.
The project, which is being implemented by Action Aid Ghana, with funding from the Adaptation Fund, is carried out in collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT) and Habitat for Humanity International.
The project is focused on 11 highly vulnerable communities in the Greater Accra and Volta regions.
The communities include Agorkedzi/Atiteti, Agbledomi, Dzita, Tegbi, Woe, Lagbati/Lashibi, and Whuti in the Anloga District.
The others are Azizanya/Kewunor in the Ada East District and Akaplabanya Wokumagbe, as well as Goi in the Ada West District.
“Our work with these communities is to safeguard Ghana’s coastal ecosystem and sustain the future generations,” the Country Director of Action Aid Ghana, John Nkaw, said as he presented the project plan to the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, at the launch.
He said Ghana had been losing about two metres of coastline every year to erosion, with some hotspots, such as Fuveme, losing as much as eight metres annually.
He cited a recent report by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), which estimated that 37 per cent of Ghana’s coastline was under severe threat from erosion and flooding.
Mr Nkaw said the outlook was even more alarming following a recent warning from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) that 1.2 million Ghanaians could be at risk of displacement if sea levels continued to rise.
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has also warned that by 2050, climate-induced flooding and sea-level rise could cause losses of up to US$1.3 billion annually in affected regions in the country.
The Country Director of Action Aid Ghana mentioned the displacement of more than 4,000 people in the Keta and Anloga areas in 2021 and said that it did not project a good future for the people and their livelihood.
The regional minister said the region, like many coastal areas across the continent, faced the increasing threat of climate change, rising sea levels, and unpredictable weather patterns.
He said those challenges intimidated the communities, livelihoods, and precious ecosystems.
For that reason, Mr Gunu said the Improving Resilience of Coastal Communities in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana Project was timely, offering hope and serving as a testament to the power of collaboration.
“It perfectly aligns with our national and regional priorities,” he maintained.
The Anloga District Chief Executive (DCE), Sandra Seyram Kpedor, described the project as highly appropriate and transformative and hailed its focus on early warning systems, nature-based and engineered solutions, and climate-resilient livelihoods.
“It is also refreshing to note that the project places strong emphasis on community-led design, co-ownership and sustainability, which are all values we deeply cherish,” she said.
