Youth groups in the Ada Traditional Area have petitioned President Mahama for urgent intervention to address deteriorating roads, weak healthcare services and worsening coastal erosion, warning that years of underdevelopment were placing lives and livelihoods at risk.

The petition, submitted on Saturday (23 May) by a group calling itself Ada Youth, appealed for government action on road rehabilitation, street lighting, emergency health services and sea defence infrastructure in parts of the Greater Accra Region.

“We gather not out of preference for demonstration, but out of necessity and concern for the welfare and future of our communities,” the group said in the petition.

The youth said residents had endured “preventable hardships” caused by decades of neglect in infrastructure and social services despite the area’s economic potential in fishing, tourism, salt production and agriculture.

The petition identified six major roads requiring urgent rehabilitation, including the Sege-Lolonya Road, Kasseh-Ada Foah Road and Ada Foah-Totope Road, describing them as critical to economic activity and movement within the enclave.

“How many more lives must be affected before meaningful intervention is undertaken?” the petition said.

Residents are also seeking expanded street lighting systems, arguing that poor visibility at night has contributed to insecurity and road safety risks across several communities.

On healthcare, the group cited limited access to emergency services, inadequate ambulance coverage and pressure on existing health facilities.

“No resident should lose life or dignity because assistance arrived too late,” the petition stated, while acknowledging the efforts of healthcare workers operating under difficult conditions.

The youth further called for the modernization of the Kasseh Market and renewed sea defence projects to protect coastal communities including Akplabanya, Anyam, Azizakpe, Aflive and Azizanya, which face persistent erosion threats.

The petition gave the government three weeks to begin visible action and said the appeal should not be viewed as political confrontation.

“The people of Ada seek partnership. The people of Ada seek development. The people of Ada seek action. Ada deserves better,” it concluded.

The document was signed by lead convener Opesika Tetteh Puplampu and copied to several government institutions, including the Ministries of Roads and Highways, Health, Local Government and Works and Housing.