KNUST study warns sea defence is shifting coastal threats to unprotected communities

The researchers are recommending the expansion of Ghana’s national coastal monitoring network, the deployment of real-time early warning systems for tidal waves and coastal flooding, stronger collaboration among relevant institutions, and increased investment in locally developed technologies for coastal data collection.

A three-year study by researchers at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has found worsening coastal erosion and saltwater intrusion along Ghana’s eastern coastline, with some communities facing increasing threats from tidal flooding.

Researchers at the West Africa Geophysics (WAGeo) Lab are consequently calling for a stronger national coastal monitoring system and real-time early warning mechanisms to help vulnerable communities prepare for tidal waves and coastal flooding.