West African Coastal Protection Area project is on course - Mahama assures

President John Mahama says construction works under the West Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) project are expected to begin soon.

He has assured coastal residents that efforts are being made to speed up work to address ongoing coastal erosion challenges in parts of the Volta Region.

Speaking during a visit to affected coastal communities, he said the project experienced delays in 2024 due to the election campaign but has since resumed.

The West African Coastal Protection Area supported by the World Bank with a funding envelope of $150 million designed to protect vulnerable sections of Ghana's coastline, stretching through areas including Ketu South and part of Angloga.

Planned interventions include the construction of sea defence structures, installation of groins to reduce wave impact and ecosystem-based measures such as mangrove restoration of coconut trees and the planting to stabilise the shoreline.

A planned commencement stalled in 2024 but resumed shortly after John Mahama assumed office amidst the ravaging tidal waves. The President's first port of call was Fuveme, close to the estuary currently consumed by the sea.

"...In the meantime, we will contact VRA to see if they can do some dredging in the main estuary so that it eases the pressure on this side. Normally when the estuary is silted, then it looks for ways to join the sea in other places that is what is happening exactly here but if we dredge it, it allows more water to flow out of the water into the sea. So, we'll take immediate measures to try and reduce the effect, but a long-term solution is the World Bank project which we're about to start," President Mahama said.

He then moved to Jita Anyanui where he inspected the construction of a sea defence wall,

"The electric poles were just by the road and the sea had fell some of the electric lines, so the contractors had to reposition the electric cables over there, but there's a very good job you can see many years after I left office I think it was in 2016 or so, many years after we left office the sea defence is still looking very good," he said.

President Mahama then proceeded to Agaveji in the Ketu South constituency, a community that has suffered severe tidal waves but currently heaving a sigh of relief following the award and  commencement of phase two of the Blekusu sea defence projects.

The President said his promise to make life comfortable for the people will not be abandoned.