Oil Watch Ghana KAIROS visited Oil Watch Ghana in Accra in March. Part of our time there was to discuss the 2023 KAIROS-Oil Watch Africa project on Loss and Damage, of which Oil Watch Ghana is a partner. The project will focus on what loss and damage means to displaced communities, to link it with climate justice and quantify it for policy officials. During the field trip with Oil Watch Africa, we visited the Anyanui community, which was displaced by storms, coastal erosion and climate change. We visited the remains of their land, surrounded by water, where they used to live. It is now a small piece of land that used to host people’s homes and a school. The community has been moved into resettlement homes accessible by boat but they risk displacement again. We met with a chief member of the community who explained that coastal erosion and the deposition of sand due to storms has affected the movement of communities. These sand deposits now block the navigation routes of local fishermen and those who travel by boat for economic transactions. The community has however been working to find ways to make their travels and movements possible by depositing the sand back and creating avenues for local communities to freely move around like before. They are not receiving any support from the government but have been able to do this work thanks to the help of private individuals who care about the region. The work they are doing demonstrates the creativity and innovation they must come up with even while facing harsh conditions and limited funding. When the rest of the world claims that Africa has neither technology nor science to deal with its resources or adapt to climate change, this is a clear example that they have the knowledge and capacity to adapt. Oil Watch Ghana is hoping to amplify voices impacted by the climate crisis so that the government hears them. By Radia Mbengue, KAIROS’ Global Partnerships Coordinator: Africa and Climate Justice |
