Ghana ranks highly among African countries that are most exposed to risks from multiple weather-related hazards, especially perennial flooding.
Accra, amongst other regions in Ghana, has often faced the brunt of heavy flooding during rainy seasons over the past years.
In a bid to deal with this menace, past and present governments have invested some, with aid from the World Bank and other donors.
In May 2019, the World Bank approved a $200 million investment for the GARID project,, which focuses on improving flood risk management and solid waste management in the Odaw River Basin of Greater Accra.
This was after a devastating flood and fire disaster in the Odaw catchment on June 3, 2015 which led to the unfortunate loss of about 150 lives.
However, despite these significant investments, the Ministry of Works and Housing says only two percent of the problem has been addressed.
During a media engagement on June 13, 2024, the deputy sector Minister, Dr Prince Hamid Armah,, revealed that,
“If you take Greater Accra, the intervention of the Greater Accra Resilience and Integrated Development Project (GARIP) that we put in a lot of resources to be able to address the problem, we are solving only two percent of the flooding situation in Greater Accra.”
According to him, addressing the drainage situation requires proper demarcation and mapping of the regional landscape, including all drainage systems, to accurately estimate the necessary budget.
He also mentioned that additional investment is needed to tackle the flooding issue, emphasising that the government alone cannot finance it.
When asked about the allocation of the recently approved tranche of the GARID project, he explained that the additional $150 million will be partially used for re-scoping the project and settling compensations.
Meanwhile, the seven major floods include
the Accra floods of 1995.
The torrential floods in Northern Ghana in 2007.The major flooding event in Accra in June 2010.
The floods in Accra and surrounding areas in June 2014.
The floods that hit Tamale in July 2016.The Accra floods of June 2019.