West African coastal zone is increasingly threatened by coastal erosion and inundation primarily by rising sea levels due to climate change. West African governments are ill-prepared to manage the impacts of sea-level rise due to lack of financial capacity and climate science knowledge amidst growing demand for the incorporation of indigenous knowledge in current climate change policies to enhance resilience to climate change. Unfortunately, the applicability of indigenous knowledge systems in climate science resilience is limited in sub-Saharan African. Accordingly, this study examined the perception of local communities on the causes and impacts of coastal erosion and flooding, and the existing indigenous knowledge practices that are adopted against coastal erosion and flooding among 6 communities in la Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. Interviews were conducted with relevant local and state stakeholders using a semi-structured interview guide. The study observed similarities in the perceived causative factors which include traditional belief systems, physical processes and human activities across the nations. Though the coastal hazard poses a serious threat to the localities in terms of destruction to civil infrastructure, personal properties and emotional trauma, there are no immediate state interventions to solve the problem. The indigenous protective mechanisms of the people were observed to be ineffective hence there is an urgent call for the respective governments to address the problem.