Ghana has received a155 million-dollar grant and loan from the World Bank to help restore the country’s degraded coastal areas. The amount which is under the West Africa Coastal Areas, WACA 2 Resilience Investment Project is to build the resilience of coastal communities in Accra and the Volta region against flooding, erosion, pollution and ecosystem vulnerability nationally and regionally.
The Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Madam Ophelia Mensah Hayford has said the management of Ghana’s coastal zone and natural environment was crucial for sustainable development and climate resilience. She made the statement at the launch of phase two of the West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project (WACA ResIP II) on Wednesday in Accra.
The Government and the World Bank have committed 155 million dollars in grants and loans, to the building of Ghana’s coastal area resilience. The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), implementors of the “West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project” on a pilot basis, has expressed hope that it would promote the nation’s blue economy as it “aims at addressing coastal erosion, flooding, pollution, and ecosystem vulnerability nationally and regionally.”
…. US$155m World Bank financed WACA ResIP 2 Ghana project launched. An estimated 5.5 million coastal residents in Ghana face significant challenges as 80 percent of the coastline is highly vulnerable to erosion and flooding – with some areas eroding at 4 to 12 metres annually, says the World Bank.
The WACA programme was launched in 2018 in response to some countries’ request for solutions and finance to help protect and restore the ecological, social, and economic assets of West Africa’s coastal areas by addressing coastal erosion, flooding, and pollution.
The Vice President and newly elected flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has highlighted a number of interventions the government has undertaken to control the degradation of Ghana’s coastal landscape.
