People living along Ghana’s coast are getting more upset. Residents in at-risk towns in the Volta and Greater Accra regions are asking President John Dramani Mahama to step in quickly and restart the West Africa Coastal Area Resilience Investment Project (WACA ResIP 2), which has stalled.
On April 11, a group of local organizations in the Volta Region sent a petition. They said stopping the project in 2025 was a huge setback. People had hoped the project would help fight coastal erosion, big tidal waves, and flooding together as a region.
Ghana joined the WACA ResIP 2 program in 2022. It officially launched in August 2024. Many saw it as a big step to protect coastal communities from ongoing environmental problems.
People welcomed the project because it promised safety and a better, more stable life for towns long damaged by the sea. During the 2024 Hogbetsotso Festival in Anloga, chiefs and local leaders supported the project and told everyone to get involved.
But what was once a hopeful moment has now turned into worry.
Vance Kwaku Adedze, speaking for the group, said the long silence and no clear updates about the project have left communities stressed and unsure.
“We are facing a real and present danger,” he said. “For many of these towns, the sea isn’t far away—it’s right at their doors. Delaying WACA isn’t just about policy. It’s about survival.”
He said the government’s sea defence walls in places like Amutinu, Blekusu, and Agavedzi are good, but they were never meant to replace WACA. WACA is a bigger plan that covers many countries.
“Those projects matter, but WACA offers a wider, connected solution. Slowing down this program wastes all the hope and effort communities have put in,” Adedze added.
The group also warned that Ghana could fall behind other West African countries. Togo, Benin, Senegal, and The Gambia are still moving ahead with the project.
They said the delay goes against the teamwork that WACA is built on.
They are also upset about the lack of clear information. Even groups closely watching the program haven’t gotten real updates, only hearing that the project is “still being discussed by government.”
Adedze warned that doing nothing could cause serious damage.“
Every delay raises the chance of damage we can’t fix—to our environment and to people’s jobs. If this keeps up, whole towns could be forced to move and key businesses could be lost,” he said.
The group is asking President Mahama to act fast.
They want him to remove any blocks stopping the project so Ghana can meet its promises under WACA, which Parliament already approved.
They say restarting the project isn’t just about government work. It’s about listening to the people who helped create it.
For many along Ghana’s coast, the message is simple: the sea is coming closer, and time is running out.
