Over 5.5 million coastal residents in Ghana are facing significant dangers as coastal degradation continues to worsen, according to the World Bank.
The situation is dire, with around 80 percent of the coastline at high risk of erosion and flooding. Some areas are losing land at a rate of 4 to 12 metres each year.
The World Bank also estimates that coastal degradation is costing Ghana about 4 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually. This ongoing damage poses serious threats to communities, ecosystems, and biodiversity, as noted by Naila Ahmed, the Sustainable Development Programme Leader at the World Bank.
To address these challenges, the US$155 million World Bank-financed West Africa Coastal Areas (WACA) Resilience Investment Project (ResIP 2) has been launched in Ghana.
The project aims to tackle the pressing issues of coastal erosion and flooding, which have been impacting both the environment and local livelihoods.
Naila Ahmed pointed out that the cost of coastal degradation not only affects the environment but also places a heavy financial burden on the government.
“Coastal degradation costs government,” Ahmed stated, underlining the economic and environmental stakes involved.
