WACA ResIP 2: Coastal Civil Society Organisations Forum pledge to ensure successful implementation

The Coastal Civil Society Organizations Forum (CCF) has pledged to work towards ensuring the successful implementation of the West Africa Coastal Area Resilience Investment Project (WACA ResIP 2).

The Government of Ghana has received financing in grants and loans from the PROBLUE funds and the World Bank under its West Africa Coastal Area Resilience Investment Project (WACA ResIP 2) through the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI).

The WACA Program was developed help countries to protect and restore the ecological, social, and economic assets of coastal areas in the subregion

The overall objective of WACA ResIP 2 in Ghana is to strengthen the resilience of coastal communities in addressing coastal challenges such as coastal erosion, flooding, pollution; ecosystem degradation; and inadequate institutional coordination of policies and programs. 

The Chairman of the CCF, Ken Kinney speaking after a meeting of the CCF on Wednesday said the role of the CCF as recognized by the World Bank was to enrich the project impelmentation for its overall success.

Under the $155 million project, a novel role has been assigned to the CCF to be a "watchdog" and be part of the implementing process to ensure its successful implementation. 

The WACA ResIP Two project, would enhance the resilience of selected coastal communities in Accra, and the Volta regions, specifically those within the Korle Lagoon, Densu and the Keta Lagoon areas.

The CCF is represented on the steering and technical committees to ensure projects were implemented judiciously.

Mr Kinney said the CCF was to ensure the government achieved its goal of prudent use of resources for the benefit of communities.

He said it was the expectation of the CCF that the WACA two project would hopefully restore the coastline, build capacity of people in the beneficiary communities to enhance the economies of communities while putting in structures to mitigate coastal erosion through the establishment of grey and green infrastructure.

He said CCF would monitor and produce a shadow report on what the government was doing in relation to WACA ResIP two's implementation not to indict the government but to ensure the government achieved the goals of the WACA project. 

Mr Kinney indicated that the CCF came on board the project with a wide range of expertise from various fields and was certain to collaborate with implementing agencies to monitor and recommend supportively towards the attainment of the project goals.

Component two of the Ghana project aims to strengthen institutional and policy frameworks for coastal development, protection, and natural resource management, excluding fisheries. Component three supports physical interventions at multiple sites across Ghana to protect communities from coastal hazards and restore critical coastal ecosystems, and social investments to directly benefit coastal communities which includes a community driven development approach to livelihoods while component four supports national coordination and implementation of the project.  

The Coordinator of the CCF, Noble Wadzah said the CCF was committed to working with state agencies to build trust towards the effective implementation of the project. 

He said while the CCF had watchdog and monitoring roles, such would be used to guide the project to its success.