Anlo Youth Council declares support for the Minority Group in Parliament to reject the 2022 Budget

For a long time now, south-eastern Ghana has experienced devastating tidal waves. The victims of these natural disasters have been looking up to the Government for hope because it is the responsibility of the state to provide security for its citizens. Their hopes, however, have been dashed, and their cries have fallen on deaf ears. The Minority Caucus in Parliament has chosen the side of many victims of the rampaging tidal waves. We stand with them.

Over the past 160 years, the Anlo coast has been under serious attack by the sea mainly due to Climate Change and the damming of the Volta River at various points. Available data shows that the eastern part of the Volta Estuary has been receding at about 300% more than the rest of Ghana’s coastline. For about past ten years now, the Government has invested over Five Hundred ($500) Million US Dollars in coastal protection, but that has been at the Western part of the Volta Estuary: Ada, Sakumono, and Ningo. We feel that this is a clear case of unscientific resource allocation and discrimination.

We would like to suggest to the Minority (and to appeal to the Majority Caucus) to support and expand their preconditions for approving the budget to include the following:

1. The Government should make provisions for the development and implementation of a comprehensive risk mitigation plan including the protection of the entire eastern coastline, especially the Fuveme and Agavedzi areas, and the dredging of the Keta Lagoon to improve its water holding capacity. The government must also build a canal to connect some tributaries of the Volta Lake/River and the lagoon.
2. The Government should open the country’s land borders. The loss of livelihoods due to the continuous closure of the country’s land borders constitutes a denial of income-earning activities to hardworking and diligent citizens who live and work near these land borders. These citizens’ loss of revenue is also a loss of revenue to the state.

These suggestions will help stabilize areas of existing and planned development, prevent flooding of the coastal communities, and minimize disruptions to human activities associated with the coastline.

We urge all Ghanaians to support the Minority Caucus in this fight for the neglected communities along Ghana’s Coastlines.

Thank You