In a bold step toward grassroots climate leadership, women across coastal communities in the Volta Region are rising to the challenge of the climate crisis through a targeted training programme led by the Women’s Voices in Coastal Climate Adaptations (WOVCCA-RFPR) project.
Organised by the Institute of Climate and Environmental Governance (ICEG) and supported by the Gender & Environmental Data Alliance (GEDA), the workshop in Keta brought together women from Anloga, Kedzi, Kedzikorpe, and nearby communities. The event focused on equipping them with practical tools for coastal adaptation and climate action planning.
Participants—ranging from fishmongers and farmers to youth and elderly residents—shared personal experiences of worsening tidal waves, shrinking fish stocks, and saltwater intrusion on their farmlands. Their stories painted a vivid picture of the daily realities faced by coastal dwellers as climate change intensifies.
Mr. Khiddir Iddris, Project Leader of WOVCCA-RFPR, highlighted that the initiative aims to challenge the traditional exclusion of women from climate decision-making spaces. “These women are not just victims of climate change—they are innovators, leaders, and agents of change,” he said.
The training concluded with a resolution to transform community recommendations into actionable climate adaptation plans. ICEG pledged to present these insights to municipal authorities and national stakeholders to ensure the women’s voices directly inform policy.
Fredericka Tay, a fishmonger from Anloga, spoke passionately about the economic strains on women in the fishing industry. She called for urgent investment in cold storage facilities and agro-processing centres, as well as stricter enforcement against illegal sand winning, which accelerates coastal erosion.
Other participants also advocated for improved access to capital, post-harvest facilities, and intervention projects like tomato processing plants and youth-focused resilience programmes.
By elevating women’s leadership and embedding gender-inclusive approaches into climate solutions, the WOVCCA-RFPR project marks a transformative moment in Ghana’s coastal climate response. It is not just about adaptation—it’s about amplifying voices that have long been unheard and enabling communities to build resilience from the ground up.
