President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing the devastating impact of tidal waves in the Ketu South Municipality, promising to secure funding for the second phase of the Blekusu Sea Defense Project.
During a visit to the affected communities of Salakope and Agavedzi, President Mahama witnessed firsthand the widespread destruction caused by the recurrent tidal waves.
Speaking to residents who have been displaced, he expressed deep concern for their plight and assured them that the government had not abandoned them, noting “Next week, we are going to present the budget, so I will ask the finance minister to include funding to start phase two of the Blekusu Sea Defense project.”
President Mahama criticized the ongoing resettlement project, reportedly financed by Ghana Gas, describing it as poorly executed and inadequate for the affected residents.
“I don’t think the project was thought through. The work is shoddy, and even the area where the resettlement is being built is a flat area. If it floods, it will affect those buildings too, making them unfit for purpose,” he remarked.
He emphasized the urgent need for a two-pronged approach continuing the defense wall construction while simultaneously resettling displaced residents.
“Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The project ended at phase one, and the government did not provide funding to continue phase two. Phase two would have covered Salakope, Agavedzi, and Amotsinu, but that was left unfinished,” he explained.
According to President Mahama, the designs for phase two are complete, and all that remains is securing the necessary funds, assuring “Eighty meters of the coastline have already been washed away. The facilities are ready, the design is ready. We just have to allocate the funding so that the project can begin and protect the people who have been displaced.”
The President visited the area alongside the Minister of Works and Housing, key government officials, and the Ghana Hydrological Authority, who recently assessed the extent of the damage.
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