The Member of Parliament for Ketu South and Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ms Abla Dzifa Gomashie, says the launch of Phase II of the Blekusu Coastal Protection Project is a response to years of devastation and unanswered appeals from affected communities along the eastern Volta coastline.

Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony held at Blekusu on Saturday, July 20, 2025, Ms Gomashie said the start of the long-delayed project showed that President John Dramani Mahama had listened to the concerns of her constituents, who have endured years of destruction caused by tidal waves.

“I chose not to shout because I knew that when he hears me call, he’ll pick it,” she said. “Finally, the day has come. And in between those days, years, and months when I cry, there’s one person who always responds, and that is His Excellency John Dramani Mahama.”

Communities including Blekusu, Salakope, Agavedzi and Amutsinu have experienced repeated tidal destruction over the years.

The floods have displaced families, destroyed homes and property, and disrupted livelihoods along the coast.

Phase One of the sea defence project was completed in 2015, but the second phase stalled for nearly a decade.

Ms Gomashie, who has consistently called for urgent intervention, said the start of the second phase marked the end of a painful period of neglect.

“I was only shouting because those who were in charge of this country refused to pay attention to me and my people,” she told a gathering that included President Mahama, traditional leaders and residents of the affected towns.

The second phase of the project will cover eight kilometres of coastal defence and is expected to be completed over a four-year period. It will be undertaken by Amandi Holdings Limited under the supervision of the Ghana Hydrological Authority.

The works include shoreline stabilisation, dune restoration, and the construction of supporting infrastructure such as a fish market, cold storage facilities, a lorry park, and public sanitation units.

Ms Gomashie said the intervention would protect homes and help restore livelihoods and social stability in the flood-prone area.

President Mahama cut the sod to mark the official start of construction and assured the community that the project would be completed as planned.