The outgoing Director of the Keta Municipal National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Godknows Y. Bleboo, has urged policy makers to fully integrate local knowledge and expertise into climate resilience strategies to better protect Ghana’s most vulnerable coastal communities.

Speaking at the second edition of Climate Talks in Keta, Volta Region—an influential forum focused on combining indigenous wisdom with national climate policies—Mr. Bleboo emphasized the crucial need to involve those living closest to the impacts of climate change.

His appeal comes in the wake of recent tidal waves that devastated Salakope, Agavedzi, and neighboring communities in the Ketu South Municipality, causing widespread destruction.

“Keta is highly vulnerable,” Mr. Bleboo explained. “For generations, our people have experienced the sea’s relentless fury. Traditionally, before the sea rises or tidal waves hit, natural signs appear—like large flocks of birds gathering near the shore. These birds detect changes in the sea and warn our fisherfolk of danger ahead. This early warning system has been essential.”

However, Mr. Bleboo warned that climate change is disrupting these time-tested natural signals. “Today, these important signs are becoming increasingly rare,” he noted.

He stressed that policy makers must tap into the deep knowledge of local communities who live with these changes every day and instinctively understand the sea’s rhythms so well that even if woken in the middle of the night, they could explain what is happening.

Mr. Bleboo expressed concern that, “too often, locals are dismissed as mere ‘villagers,’ and their valuable insights are overlooked.”

As a result, he said, policies developed far from the frontlines may look good on paper but often fail when it comes to real-world implementation.

He urged policy makers to recognize that effective and sustainable climate action hinges on forging strong partnerships with local communities.