A nursing mother and her seven-month-old baby narrowly escaped death after a violent tidal wave crashed into their home at Shiabu, a coastal community in the Greater Accra region increasingly under threat from advancing sea erosion.

Ama, who has lived in the area for the past three years, says she now lives in constant fear as the sea inches closer to her doorstep with each passing day.

The near-tragedy occurred at night during a downpour, when powerful waves struck her home while she and her baby were asleep.

“It was raining. I was in the room with my baby and my other child when I heard a loud sound. I quickly picked her up and ran to another woman’s room for safety,” she recounted.

Her home is located less than 30 metres from the shoreline — a distance that continues to shrink as tidal waves steadily erode the land.

Residents say what used to be a wide stretch of open space between their homes and the sea has now been completely washed away. The area, once used by children as a playground, has disappeared under the advancing waters.

“Between June and July, the sea comes in and covers the entire area. It’s very scary. If I had money, I would leave this area and rent somewhere else,” she said.