President John Dramani Mahama has directed a coordinated crackdown on drainage blockages and announced emergency relief funding for victims of Monday’s devastating floods in Accra, following an aerial inspection of affected areas.
Speaking after touring flood-hit communities on June 29, the President said government will convene a National Security Council meeting to coordinate a stronger response to the recurring flooding challenge in the capital.
He explained that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, working with the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, will be tasked to identify all points where drainage channels are obstructed for immediate removal.
“We’re asking every district to identify, together with the Works and Housing Ministry, where the blockages in the channels are… so that we can earmark those places for removal,” he said.
President Mahama stressed that the response will go beyond demolition of illegal structures, insisting that debris must also be cleared to prevent continued obstruction of waterways.
“We’ll not only break the houses. We have to move the rubble out of the way because there’s no use breaking a house and leaving the rubble in the waterways,” he said.
He noted that addressing Accra’s flooding requires both immediate enforcement and long-term structural reforms, including plans to decongest the capital by developing a new growth centre outside the city.
According to him, government is working on designs for a 20-year development plan that will shift major public institutions out of Accra while creating a new urban centre where people can live and invest.
“We’ll do the roads, bring the water and electricity so that it eases the pressure on Accra as a city,” he said.
The President also expressed sympathy to families and businesses affected by the floods, describing the destruction as extensive. He praised the Ghana Armed Forces, NADMO, the Police Service, the Ministry of Works and Housing, emergency responders and the 48 Engineers Regiment for their rescue operations, which included evacuations using boats.
He further directed the Minister of Finance to release funds from the Contingency Fund to support immediate post-flood relief efforts for affected persons.
President Mahama urged a change in attitude toward environmental management, warning that repeated neglect of drainage systems and waterways continues to worsen flooding in the capital.
“This time should be different,” he said, calling for sustained action to end Accra’s recurring flood crisis.
