ANLOGA, Ghana — 9 November 2026. President John Dramani Mahama has announced a combined GH¢935 million in planned coastal-protection allocations, comprising GH¢685 million for work under the West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project (WACA) and GH¢250 million earmarked in the 2027 budget for the ongoing Blekusu Phase II sea-defence project.
He made the announcement at the Hogbetsotso Festival in Anloga on Saturday, 7 November, following appeals from coastal communities affected by destructive tidal waves. The money comes from two separate funding streams, and the announcement does not establish that every allocation has been disbursed. The government's Information Services Department confirmed the split on 8 November.
Mahama announced GH¢685 million for WACA coastal interventions and GH¢250 million in the 2027 budget for Blekusu Phase II. Blekusu is already under construction; the WACA allocation is meant to start protection works. The figures describe separate funding plans, not proof that all infrastructure is complete or paid for.
Where the GH¢935 million is intended to go
The larger amount, GH¢685 million, was announced for a package of coastal works under WACA, a regional initiative addressing erosion, flooding and environmental damage. According to the Ghana News Agency's report of Mahama's remarks, the proposed measures combine engineered structures with environmental restoration.
They include breakwaters to reduce wave energy, groynes designed to influence sediment movement, revetments to protect exposed shoreline, beach replenishment, restoration of wetlands and vegetation-based dune stabilisation.
The government also described lagoon and watershed rehabilitation, together with livelihood support targeted at residents of affected communities, including women, young people and people with disabilities.
That distinction is important: a coastal-resilience programme is broader than building a single wall. It addresses the physical shoreline and some of the economic pressures caused by repeated flooding and displacement. The World Bank's WACA programme provides the wider regional context, while Ghana's announcement gives the local funding amount and intended works.
The remaining GH¢250 million was identified as a provision in the 2027 national budget to continue and complete Blekusu Phase II. As MyJoyOnline reported from the festival, this is additional money for a project already underway, not a new construction launch. The reported GH¢935 million is the arithmetic total of the WACA amount and the Blekusu budget provision; it is not a single contract value or a verified amount already paid to contractors.
Blekusu Phase II is already being built
INVESTMENT DEALS
Ghana's GH¢935m Coastal Plan: WACA and Blekusu Explained
8 nov. 2026
8 nov. 2026
7 min read
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ANLOGA, Ghana — 9 November 2026. President John Dramani Mahama has announced a combined GH¢935 million in planned coastal-protection allocations, comprising GH¢685 million for work under the West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project (WACA) and GH¢250 million earmarked in the 2027 budget for the ongoing Blekusu Phase II sea-defence project.
He made the announcement at the Hogbetsotso Festival in Anloga on Saturday, 7 November, following appeals from coastal communities affected by destructive tidal waves. The money comes from two separate funding streams, and the announcement does not establish that every allocation has been disbursed. The government's Information Services Department confirmed the split on 8 November.
Mahama announced GH¢685 million for WACA coastal interventions and GH¢250 million in the 2027 budget for Blekusu Phase II. Blekusu is already under construction; the WACA allocation is meant to start protection works. The figures describe separate funding plans, not proof that all infrastructure is complete or paid for.
Where the GH¢935 million is intended to go
The larger amount, GH¢685 million, was announced for a package of coastal works under WACA, a regional initiative addressing erosion, flooding and environmental damage. According to the Ghana News Agency's report of Mahama's remarks, the proposed measures combine engineered structures with environmental restoration.
They include breakwaters to reduce wave energy, groynes designed to influence sediment movement, revetments to protect exposed shoreline, beach replenishment, restoration of wetlands and vegetation-based dune stabilisation.
The government also described lagoon and watershed rehabilitation, together with livelihood support targeted at residents of affected communities, including women, young people and people with disabilities.
PUBLICITÉ
That distinction is important: a coastal-resilience programme is broader than building a single wall. It addresses the physical shoreline and some of the economic pressures caused by repeated flooding and displacement. The World Bank's WACA programme provides the wider regional context, while Ghana's announcement gives the local funding amount and intended works.
The remaining GH¢250 million was identified as a provision in the 2027 national budget to continue and complete Blekusu Phase II. As MyJoyOnline reported from the festival, this is additional money for a project already underway, not a new construction launch. The reported GH¢935 million is the arithmetic total of the WACA amount and the Blekusu budget provision; it is not a single contract value or a verified amount already paid to contractors.
Blekusu Phase II is already being built
Blekusu's second phase began in July 2025, after President Mahama launched works in the Ketu South Municipality. The Ghana Presidency's original project announcement described an eight-kilometre coastal protection stretch serving Blekusu, Agavedzi, Salakope, Amutsinu and Adina. Amandi Holding Limited was named as the contractor, with groynes, reinforced embankments, dune restoration and facilities connected to fishing livelihoods forming part of the plan.
There is evidence of actual construction, not merely a pledge. In a site inspection on 18 August 2026, the Ghana Hydrological Authority reported 39% physical progress. It said 14 groynes had been completed and work was ongoing on 22, as the scheme's configuration was being adjusted from 37 originally planned groynes to 40 structures. Those are dated August observations, not a fresh measurement of progress as of November.
The authority also reported that the contractor had raised concerns about outstanding payment certificates and permit renewals. Its inspection addressed another technical problem: a groyne can trap sand on one section of coast while changing sediment supply farther along it.
PUBLICITÉ
The project team said adjustments were designed to reduce harmful downstream effects, but the long-term outcome requires monitoring. These details explain why budget continuity, engineering supervision and safeguards for neighbouring settlements matter as much as the headline amount.
Residents want protection that lasts beyond the construction site
At the Hogbetsotso gathering, traditional leaders appealed for uninterrupted work at Blekusu and urgent action for communities such as Fuveme, where repeated tidal damage has affected homes, schools, fishing infrastructure and cultural spaces. The Ghana News Agency documented the chiefs' appeals, including their call for delivery timetables rather than open-ended assurances.
The coastal problem is also an economic one. Fishing households need access to landing sites, storage, processing and markets; damage to roads, schools and homes can make remaining in a community difficult even when the sea is temporarily calm. The Blekusu plans include a fish market, cold-storage and processing facilities, sanitation and transport-related amenities.
Those are planned project components rather than facilities confirmed as operational today.
Mahama also urged residents and traditional authorities to protect mangroves and wetlands. Vegetation cannot replace properly designed protective works in every high-risk location, but removing coastal plants can weaken natural buffers. WACA's proposed mix of built structures and ecological restoration reflects that wider understanding of shoreline risk.
Tendances actuelles
PUBLICITÉ
Two uncertainties still need public answers
First, the precise Blekusu budget line needs reconciliation. The government's Information Services Department and multiple reports give GH¢250 million, while a Ghana Broadcasting Corporation report cites GH¢257 million. This article uses the government's published GH¢250 million amount and the resulting GH¢935 million combined figure. A published 2027 budget schedule or further official clarification would provide the definitive reconciliation.
Second, published schedules have varied. The Presidency's 2025 launch described a four-year undertaking, while the Hydrological Authority's August 2026 inspection cited June 2028 as the scheduled completion date. Neither announcement by itself establishes the current agreed contractual deadline. A dated delivery plan should specify remaining groynes, shoreline sections, community facilities, payments and handover stages.
Project progress also should not be confused with comprehensive protection. Even after sea defences are built, sediment drift, drainage, flood exposure and maintenance will need attention. Communities immediately outside the protected stretches are part of that picture.
What will show that the allocations are delivering?
The next useful evidence will be budget execution and construction records: the 2027 Blekusu line in the final budget, financing and procurement information for WACA works, updated Hydrological Authority measurements, and independent confirmation that specific structures and community facilities are finished and functioning. An announcement may establish policy intent and an allocation; the physical and financial records establish delivery.
For residents of Blekusu, Agavedzi, Salakope, Amutsinu, Adina and neighbouring coastal settlements, the relevant outcome is not only how much has been announced. It is whether the works reduce erosion without transferring risk to nearby communities and whether families can maintain their homes and livelihoods safely over time.
