Rising seas erode Ghana’s coast

The Ghanaian government is taking measures to protect its coastal communities as well as preserve its $2.1 billion tourist sector from rising sea levels.

The increasingly higher tides threaten Ghana's coastline, in particular its historic coastal castles such as the 18th-century trading fort Kongenstein, at Ada Foah north-east of Accra, which has already been virtually washed away.

Accra scientist Kwasi Appeaning Addo warns that other coastal castles facing the threat of erosion include Cape Coast (south-west of the capital), and Osu in the greater Accra area – both UNESCO World Heritage sites. Addo believes that the castle at Osu may be flooded by 2050. Citing climate change,

Addo says that sea levels around Accra could rise by up to 80 cm by 2100, while a recent study by the University of Ghana found that the Accra coast is receding at just over one metre a year, with Ada Foah losing about 3.5 metres annually. Addo also blames growing human population along the coast, which he predicts will continue to increase as Ghana’s offshore oil industry takes off, as well as the damaging practice of removing sand from beaches to use in house construction.

Having so far failed to encourage residents of Ada Faoh to resettle inland, as they don't want to live far away from their principal livelihood of fishing, the government is taking the precaution of constructing a sea defence wall there instead.