Opinions of Thursday, 29 October 2026

Columnist: Joel Kofi Degue

Six months after Mahama's Fuveme visit, coastal Volta awaits action

President John Mahama speaks during his visit to Fuveme in the Volta Region President John Mahama speaks during his visit to Fuveme in the Volta Region

Your Excellency,

On 29th April 2026, you visited Fuveme in the Anloga District of the Volta Region to sympathise with communities devastated by tidal waves, coastal erosion when the sea breached the Fuveme sandbar and entered the Anyanui Channel. Your visit brought high hope to people who have watched helplessly as the sea swallows their lands, homes, livelihoods and future.

During that visit, you assured the people that funding for the West Africa Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project (WACA ResIP 2) was intact and not repurposed and that the project would be undertaken. You also promised to facilitate the dredging of the lower Volta by the Volta River Authority (VRA) to improve the free flow of water. At Salakope, you further pledged the reconstruction of the Anyanui–Denu road.

Today, 29th October 2026, marks exactly six months since those assurances were given. Sadly, the people of Coastal Volta are yet to see concrete action on these critical commitments.

Your Excellency, the sea has not paused its advance while the people wait. Every passing daydeepens their anxiety, compounds their losses and threatens their very existence. For families who have lost ancestral lands, homes, fishing grounds and other sources of livelihood, six months without visible progress is an agonisingly long time.



We respectfully ask, President Mahama:

1. What is the current status of WACA ResIP 2?
2. When will the promised dredging of the lower Volta commence?
3. And what is the definitive timeline for reconstructing the Anyanui–Denu road?

These are not merely questions about projects. They are questions about survival, dignity, trust and the future of an already vulnerable population.
Your Excellency, time is of the essence. The people of Coastal Volta are running out of patience, not because they disregard the challenges of governance, but because their suffering cannot wait indefinitely for solutions. Many feel increasingly neglected by the very government they voted for and do look to for protection and hope.

President Mahama, the people of Coastal Volta appeal to you, therefore, to provide a clear public update on these commitments, with specific timelines and visible actionable steps towards implementation. Such an update would restore confidence, reassure affected communities and demonstrate that the promises made at Fuveme and Salakope remain firmly on the national agenda.

President Mahama, history will remember not only the promises made to vulnerable communities, but also the actions taken to protect them. Coastal Volta does not seek sympathy alone; it seeks urgent, practical and lasting solutions.
Six months have passed. The need is immediate. The people are still waiting. Let hope be into action before the sea takes more than the communities can bear.

Respectfully,