The Member of Parliament for Anlo, Richard Kwame Sefe, has called for government intervention to prevent what he describes as the potential wipeout of more than 100 coastal communities in the Volta Region by sea erosion.

His call comes as the perennial sea destruction in the coastal areas of the Volta Region sets in, cutting into communities and farms, as many begin to lose their livelihoods.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an energy committee tour on April 20, Mr. Sefe said the perennial destruction along the coastline had intensified.

“If the situation is not addressed quickly, over one hundred communities across five districts on the coastal belt could disappear,” he warned.

According to the MP, the districts at risk include South Tongu, Anloga, Keta, Ketu South, and parts of Akatsi South.

“For Anloga alone, we are visualising that about 50 communities will go off the map if care is not taken now,” he said. “In South Tongu, we counted about five or six communities that may also go. Likewise, parts of Keta, including Anyako, among others, may also go.”

He added that Anloga District, which is currently bearing the brunt, could see the entire Kome enclave—comprising about nine communities—wiped out if nothing is done.

$150m fund idle three years on

Mr Sefe said a breakthrough to tackle the crisis was a $150 million World Bank facility secured under Phase Two of the West Africa Coastal Areas Programme (WACA). But three years after the funding was announced, he said no physical work had begun.

“Since this money was raised, no physical project has started,” the MP stated. “You will hear of workshops and meetings here and there. As we speak now, a workshop is ongoing in Aburi where they have marshalled our people from all those affected districts.”

He criticised the decision to hold the four-day meeting in Aburi, in the Eastern Region, instead of the affected coastal enclaves.

“We were of the view that if there is going to be any meeting at all, it should be held around the areas where the sea is battering the coastline. That way, they would use it as a site visit to appreciate the enormity of the problem.”

Enough of the workshops

Mr Sefe appealed directly to the government but said the time for talk had passed.

“The chiefs and the people are suffering. We are of the view that there have been enough talks, enough workshops, enough meetings. It is time for us to marshal whatever we have and go and face the problem once and for all,” he said.

He dismissed short-term relief measures as inadequate.

“It is not the time to go and meet the people now and give them blankets, food items, and what have you, hoping that they may live on them. For them, they can go hungry. But we want to appeal to the government to come to the aid of the people.”

“Our chiefs are also begging. It’s a sorry situation that we should not be toying with.”

The WACA programme is designed to strengthen the resilience of coastal communities in West Africa against erosion, flooding, and pollution. Ghana’s phase two component, targeting the Volta Region coastline, was announced in 2023.