Former Minister for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development and MP for Techiman South, Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, has described the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) programme as the only technical solution to Ghana’s persistent flooding challenge, warning that the project has stalled despite significant funding support.
He said GARID remains the country’s most structured and expert-backed intervention for addressing perennial flooding in Accra and its surrounding municipalities, particularly within the Odaw River Basin.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Mr. Korsah said the programme was designed with input from technical experts and development partners, and has already recorded progress in reducing flooding when actively implemented.
According to him, the project has, however, stalled in recent years, despite what he described as more than $200 million in funding secured from the World Bank.
“In our governance programme now, the only identified and agreed mode or method for dealing with floods is what the GARID project started under the NPP,” he said.
Mr. Korsah explained that GARID involves both drainage infrastructure construction and preventive maintenance activities, with different state institutions sharing responsibilities across key flood-prone areas in Accra.
He noted that the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of Works and Housing played complementary roles in implementation, with the latter handling major drainage infrastructure while assemblies managed routine desilting and environmental control measures.
He warned that the suspension or slowdown of the programme has contributed to the worsening flooding situation being recorded in several parts of the capital in recent years.
According to him, critical flood-prone areas such as the Odaw Basin and other low-lying communities remain highly vulnerable due to the lack of continuity in the programme.
“We have over 200 million United States dollars sitting as money sourced from the World Bank to fund GARID,” he said.
Mr. Korsah urged government to either fully revive GARID or introduce a clearly defined alternative flood management programme, warning that failure to act could worsen flooding in the coming years.
He argued that Ghana risks repeating past cycles of damage and recovery if flood interventions are not sustained beyond political transitions.
The GARID programme, supported by the World Bank, was designed to improve flood risk management and strengthen resilience in vulnerable communities across the Greater Accra Region.
Recent heavy rains have triggered flooding in parts of Accra and other regions, reviving public concern over drainage systems and urban planning enforcement.
