Former Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development and MP for Techiman South, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, has alleged that squatters and criminal elements occupying project sites are stalling the implementation of key flood mitigation works under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) programme.
He said some of the sites earmarked for flood control interventions in Accra have been taken over by encroachers, making it difficult for contractors and implementing agencies to continue work on the projects.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Mr. Korsah said Parliament’s Local Government and Rural Development Committee engaged the Ministry and officials of the World Bank after concerns were raised about delays in the programme.
According to him, the committee was informed that difficulties in accessing project sites had become a major obstacle to the continuation of works under GARID, which was designed to reduce flooding in Accra and surrounding communities.
“We were made to understand it has stalled because they’re having challenges getting squatters, some of whom are, as they put it, criminals with offensive weapons or implements that have come after them when they go to sites to work, and so that is why the project seems on hold,” he said.
Mr. Korsah stressed that the World Bank had already provided funding for the programme, insisting that the delays are not due to a lack of financial resources but rather challenges in gaining access to encroached project sites.
He questioned why state authorities had been unable to clear such areas to allow critical flood control works to proceed, especially at a time when flooding continues to affect several parts of the country.
“We have military men who go to drive them away, but we cannot have state security go drive away criminals who have hijacked spots for national programmes of this magnitude, and the whole country is engulfed in floods,” he added.
The GARID programme, supported by the World Bank, was launched to strengthen flood risk management and improve resilience in flood-prone communities in the Greater Accra Region.
