…As coastal erosion ravages community
Hope is rapidly fading for residents of Agavedzi, a coastal town in the Ketu South District of Ghana’s Volta Region, as relentless tidal waves and coastal erosion, continue to devastate the area.
The GH¢200 million package promised in this year’s budget statement to the people, including those in Keta and its surrounding towns along the coast, has yet to be implemented.
The destruction, has been severe, with homes, ancestral properties, and critical infrastructure washed away by the encroaching sea, leaving dozens of families displaced and desperate. The situation has prompted growing frustration among locals who feel abandoned by the government despite years of appeals for intervention.
There are reports that the government is considering transferring the coastal protection project to an Israeli firm, AMANDI Construction, which has its hands in every project under every government.
However, in the absence of immediate action, residents have resorted to social media to express their anguish and demand urgent help.
In a poignant video titled, “Save Agavedzi – Where is the Government?”, posted by a page called Keta Vibes, shocking footage shows the sea having eaten into the main road, leaving just a few houses precariously perched near what appears to be a lagoon. The road itself has been completely eroded, with seawater now flooding the path as motorbikes and vehicles struggle to navigate the remains.
The video, which has gone viral, tags several key figures, including the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, and the MP for Ketu South, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, President John Dramani Mahama (@officialjdmahama), and popular Ghanaian YouTuber Wodemaya.
The post reads: “We can only SAVE AGAVEDZI if we continually call upon the government to act firmly and swiftly. Until when will the government address these issues affecting the people of Agavedzi? We are still crying for help, and we indeed need it.”
A voice in the video breaks down in tears as it laments the community’s apparent neglect, accusing leadership of failing to act despite the clear and ongoing destruction. The speaker alleges that funds were previously allocated for resettlement and sea defence projects, but these resources cannot be accounted for.
“It’s disgraceful,” the voice says. “We are begging. It is heartbreaking to see the extent to which the sea has been allowed to ravage Agavedzi. What have we done to deserve this neglect?”
In an emotionally charged plea, one voice cries out, “If you keep ignoring your own people as an Ewe President with immense power, and you allow the sea to keep destroying the Agavedzi community, then may God judge you. We are begging you, with Jehovah Zebaoth, for help.”
The situation in Agavedzi, highlights the urgent need for sustainable, transparent, and accountable coastal protection efforts.
As tidal waves continue to eat away at the community’s future, the residents’ pleas for government intervention have never been more desperate.