President John Dramani Mahama has announced GH¢685 million to begin coastal protection works in erosion-hit Anlo communities, alongside GH¢250 million in the 2027 Budget for the Blekusu Phase 2 project. He made the announcement on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the grand durbar of the 64th Hogbetsotso Za festival in Anloga.
Mahama was responding to an appeal from the Anlo traditional area, and he confirmed that the money will flow through the West African Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project (WACA). The funds target the repeated loss of homes, fishing livelihoods, schools and cultural sites along the Volta coastline.
“The anxiety of our coastal communities deserves our immediate attention.”
GH¢685 Million Launches Coastal Protection Under WACA
The president answered the chiefs directly on the erosion question. He confirmed that GH¢685 million has been allocated to commence coastal protection works under WACA, and he expressed satisfaction with the progress of the project so far.
The allocation responds to concerns raised in the address by the Anlo Awomefia, which referred to Kuvame and the surrounding communities. Mahama returned to those communities to stress what erosion costs the people who live there.
“Behind every damaged home is a household whose security has been taken away from them.”
Engineering Works, Dunes and Wetlands
Mahama itemised what the money will buy. Engineering works will include breakwaters, drains and revetments, which are structures that absorb wave energy and hold the shoreline in place. The programme also covers dune fixation with vegetation, beach replenishment and wetlands restoration.
Other components reach inland. Lagoon and watershed rehabilitation form part of the plan, so the project treats the coast as a connected system and not a single stretch of beach. The president described these measures as a response to a problem that forces families to move again and again.
Livelihoods for Youth, Women and Persons With Disability
The final component of the project focuses on people. Mahama disclosed that livelihood support will reach communities in the targeted programme area, especially youth, women and persons with disability. Coastal households lose income as well as shelter when the sea takes boats, landing sites and fishing grounds, so the programme pairs hard engineering with economic recovery.
He told the gathering that no family should face repeated displacement, and he linked that conviction to his wider case that the benefits of Ghana’s economic reset must reach ordinary households. A coastal family, he argued, should be able to sleep peacefully without fear of losing its home to the sea.
GH¢250 Million Keeps Blekusu Phase 2 on Track
The Anlo leadership also appealed for uninterrupted continuation and completion of the Blekusu Phase 2 Coastal Protection Work. Mahama recalled that he commissioned the project soon after taking office because of the damage the sea was causing in that area.
He announced that the 2027 Budget carries an additional GH¢250 million to continue and complete the project. The Finance Minister will present that budget on his behalf next week, so the allocation will face public scrutiny within days. For Anlo residents, the line item matters most, because earlier coastal works have stalled when funding ran short.
Mahama Asks Chiefs and Residents to Protect Mangroves
The president tied the funding to local responsibility. Hard structures alone cannot hold a shoreline, he cautioned, if communities strip away the natural barriers that protect it. He addressed the traditional leaders in direct terms.
“I therefore ask our traditional leaders and residents to support the protection of the mangroves and wetlands in order to prevent this,” he stated, after noting that unrestricted destruction of mangroves and coastal vegetation leaves the coast vulnerable.
The appeal gives chiefs and assemblies a practical role. Enforcing local bylaws on cutting mangroves and filling wetlands would protect the investment that the government is making.
What Comes Next for the Anlo Coastline
The president gave no start date for the WACA works and no timetable for completing Blekusu Phase 2. He also named no contractors. Residents of the affected communities will now watch for the first machines on the shoreline and for the 2027 Budget statement to confirm the Blekusu allocation.
The announcement places coastal protection at the centre of Anlo’s development agenda. Whether the promised breakwaters, restored wetlands and livelihood programmes arrive on schedule will decide if the festival pledge becomes lasting protection for the people of the coast.
