Ghana: SEA and coastal protection

11 July 2024

At the end of June, a working group of the NCEA participated in a three-day stakeholder meeting in the Keta Lagoon. This meeting on sustainable, nature based solutions for the Eastern Ghanaian Coast, was organised by the Blue Deal Programme. 

The visit was organised in the framework of our cooperation with the Blue Deal Programme in integrating SEA and ESIA in the decision-making process for coastal protection and maintenance.

The main findings of this stakeholder meeting were that an integrated approach for the entire coastline of Ghana needs to be considered and that coastal protection measures need to be assessed according to potential cumulative impacts elsewhere. SEA is the main entry-point for enactment, leading the strategy under national vision and linking to other sectorial development plans. However, as the immediate need for coastal protection is high, the decision was made to start with pilot projects in which ESIA would be leading. From these projects, lessons learnt can be distilled.

The NCEA will share its recommendations on this process and how to proceed with the Blue Deal Programme, and will continue to support this project.