Evaluation Of Policy And Legal Environment For The Management Of Coastal Zones In Ghana With Special Emphasis On Bukom, A Coastal Suburb Of Accra District

Abstract

The world's population is increasing at an exponential level and coupled with rural-urban migration and other detrimental activities of human beings, the Earth's natural resources is constantly being subjected to intense negative pressures. These pressures have contributed immensely to the degradation of the environment especially the coastal zones. Ghana as a coastal zone country is not spared this global degradation. Ghana is home to one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, the lake Bosomtwe. The country is widely known for famous rivers, lagoons, estuaries and the country generates most of its income from tourism activities. It is therefore expedient that the country should promulgate and implement policies that will help protect its coastal resources to ensure sustainable use of the coastal and marine zones. This paper reviews the availability of an Integrated Coastal Management Policy in Ghana and how it is been implemented to ensure sustainability. At the end of the research, it was concluded that Ghana has no coastal zone policy and this has resulted in the over- exploration of coastal resources. Bokum, a typical coastal town in Accra was used as a case study. Most residents interviewed showed no knowledge of coastal zone distraction at all. Ghana has to promulgate and implement coastal zones policy as soon as possible to ensure that resources are not over-exploited but they are managed in a sustainable manner to ensure that future generation are not deprive of their fair share of coastal zone resources. 2012 to have exceeded 7 billion people. This current population growth is alarming with Ghana being a developing nation is faced with such situation of increase in the population of the country. The current population of Ghana as released by the Ghana Statistic Service (2010) stands at 24 million. The total land cover of Ghana is 238 533 km 2 and out of this, 550 km is coastlines. Available statistics as referenced from Churcher (2006) indicate that this 7 per cent of Ghana's coastline is home to 25 per cent of the nation's population and it is also where 75 per cent of Ghana's industry is located. What is alarming is the fact that 51.5 per cent of these coastal regions is urbanised as compared with the national 35.4 per cent urbanised areas. The rate of unemployment in Ghana is also very high due to the fact that the number of graduates from the various universities in a year far exceeds the annual rate of job creation. Ghana is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the southern part of the country. This has created employment in these coastal regions as fishing activities has boomed. There are also two harbours in the country, namely the Tema Harbour and the Takoradi Harbour. These two harbours as well as activities along the coastal regions have created so many opportunities for the country. Due to the rate of increase in Ghana's population, the pressure on the country's coastal zones is very alarming as most Ghanaians from the other regions of the country troop to these coastal regions to seek employment and also to engage in other activities in order to generate income. Flooding, shoreline retreat and coastal erosions are part of the major negative impacts along Ghana's coastline (Ly, 1980). In Hardin's book, the ''The tragedy of the commons'', Hardin explained vividly how a common good which is mutually shared can be over-exploited to destruction (Hardin, 1968). This situation is paramount in Ghana's situation and it is unbearable as to the kind of human activities taking place in the country's coastal region or zones. Ghana being a signatory to Agenda 17 has the duty to promulgate and enforce laws to protect its coastal waters in a sustainable manner to be able to serve the current as well as the future generation. This paper will therefore take a look at integrated coastal management policies in Ghana, how it is being implemented, challenges facing enforcing agencies and the way forward. Special focus will be given to a local coastal community in Ghana called Bukom.