The floods of June 28–29 forced difficult questions of our local governance institutions. At least 30 deaths have been recorded across Greater Accra and central regions.
One of them, at Avenor, is not far from where I conduct business. I watched as homes and businesses sank beneath rising waters. Reports say more than 38,000 people were displaced; I can attest to at least ten families who began packing out by 7 a.m. on June 29 as their rooms got filled.
At one point, a colleague had to draw the attention of an elderly woman, lost in thought, as she helplessly watched her belongings sink and drift away. She carried her grandchild strapped to her back, and though covered, the baby was not spared from the relentless rain. By mid‑morning, a nearby bank and insurance firms had to shut down and evacuate for safety. It’s a haunting image.
For years, I have read and reported the aftermath of floods. This time, I lived it and at one point wondered if I would make it out to tell. My conclusion: perhaps flood videos should be played during election seasons; they might jolt a few voters into demanding accountability.
At the heart of this crisis lies the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) project, a $350 million World Bank‑funded initiative meant to tackle chronic flooding, poor waste management, inadequate drainage, and climate vulnerabilities in the Greater Accra Region, particularly the Odaw Basin. The plan was/is to channel resources through the 17 metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies to execute core infrastructure interventions.
But the funds left may not be enough for full execution. According to IMANI, by June 2025 more than 118 million had already been spent out of 127 million drawn down. Some $60 million was earlier diverted to COVID‑19 response, and that raises a troubling question: what happened to the other facilities mobilised for pandemic relief and economic recovery?
Another question worth asking: Will the GH¢350 million drawn from the contingency fund for emergency relief and flood mitigation be reimbursed through the GARID project?
Funds tend to circulate loosely during crises, often turning into avenues for looting and sharing when accountability is absent. This is why we must demand clarity through forensic audits on how monies were spent during and after COVID‑19.
But here is the reality. GARID is an expensive project. Even if another $350 million were released today to complete it, Accra would still flood. Population growth, unregulated construction, and unchecked urban activity continue to outpace infrastructure.
Greater Accra is among Africa’s largest and fastest‑growing urban regions. Its population surged from 200,000 in 1958 to 4.7 million by 2015, and is projected to expand at roughly 3% annually over the next two decades (GSS 2012). By 2037, the GARID strategy anticipates 9.4 million residents in the region.
We are struggling to fix a problem that demands immediate, systemic intervention, not piecemeal spending or diverted funds.
Beyond the GARID project and the recurring floods, the real solution lies in freeing the local government sector; empowering Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to drive their own development. Every district has assets worth leveraging for business and international partnerships, and these should be harnessed to benefit local communities. Diplomatic agreements and development initiatives must deliberately target institutional strengthening at the local level.
Instead of just exchange programmes, the Chinese or Dutch or expertise we choose should move in to fix the engineering and manage for a while before handing over. There is a good level of confidence in our local engineers. The worry is whether we can assemble the right solutions quickly enough before another flood. That fear is reasonable; climate change patterns suggest another serious flood is not just possible, but likely. Considering funding limitations, a good barter (trade) partnership with external expertise may be the way forward
Instead of channelling funds into unsustainable programs like National Sanitation Day, waste management and sanitation should be left entirely in the hands of MMDCEs. The mayor of Tema West, for instance, should have the authority to pursue initiatives, internally and externally, to fix the filth in the metropolis.
The MMDAs along the Odaw Basin should be granted the executional freedom to form a consortium capable of independently engaging and partnering with qualified private or government agencies to determine how the basin best serves surrounding communities.
This begs a question about the future of the Odaw River Basin: will it remain a purely functional channel, built only to prevent floods and carry water to the sea, or can we imagine something more? The role we envision for the Odaw will ultimately shape the standard of living for the communities around it.
This proposal does not call for the state to withdraw from development at the local level but rather to redirect its role, moving away from centralised control and toward enabling communities. If executed well, some districts will eventually develop enough and quickly to reduce reliance on the common fund to drive growth through their own initiatives.
The starting point must be either granting MMDCEs full access to government funds or empowering them to generate internal revenue to self-sustain local development.
While the Military led Flood Recovery and Mitigation Operation may be laudable, but the real test is whether it complements the GARID blueprint or merely serves as a stop‑gap dressed up as a new project. What Accra needs now is not another partisan skirmish because disaster does not recognise political colours.
By Ebenezer De-Gaulle
Vice President, Institutional Relations, ILAPI
