Ghana’s flooding crisis driven by failure to protect wetlands — Kwadwo Twum Boafo
The Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), Kwadwo Twum Boafo, has attributed Ghana’s recurring flooding challenges to poor urban planning and the destruction of natural drainage systems.
He argues that decades of weak enforcement of building regulations have allowed construction in waterways and wetlands, worsening the country’s flooding situation, particularly in parts of Accra.
Speaking on Accra-based Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show on Friday, May 29, he noted that key infrastructure has been sited in areas that naturally serve as water channels, blocking runoff and increasing flood risks during heavy rains.
He specifically cited high-rise developments such as Villagio as examples of structures that, in his view, should not have been built in those locations.
“Structures like Villagio should have never been built. Because if you are old enough to remember that whole place was marsh land. When I say marsh land, I mean wetland. And the runoff from the hills used to go there,” he said.
He explained that the conversion of wetlands into residential and commercial properties has disrupted natural drainage patterns.
“So, what simply happens now is every time it rains, the runoff, you can’t stop the runoff, it will still come, and it will flood that side of Accra,” Mr. Twum Boafo noted.
Mr. Twum Boafo further criticised what he described as years of poor engineering decisions and weak urban planning enforcement, which have allowed buildings to replace wetlands and lagoon systems.
He also raised concerns about the blockage of drains through poor waste disposal practices, adding that plastic waste continues to worsen the situation.