Government must update Ghanaians on GARID project — Akim Swedru MP 

The Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Nyarko Osei, has called on the government to provide an update on the implementation of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project amid renewed concerns over flooding in the capital.

His comments come after heavy rains on Monday, June 29, triggered flooding in several parts of Accra and other communities, resulting in loss of lives, displacement of residents and damage to property.

The lawmaker argued that the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration had developed a long-term strategy to address the country's perennial flooding challenges and urged the current government to continue with its implementation.

"Ghanaians should note that the NPP Government was the first in the history of this country to adopt a comprehensive National Flood Mitigation Strategies in 2017 to contain the country's perennial flood problems. These comprehensive strategies are still available for the new Government to follow if they are indeed concerned about solving the flood issues in the country," he wrote in a series of social media posts on Tuesday, June 30.

Nyarko Osei also questioned the current status of the World Bank-supported GARID Project, which is expected to be completed in 2027.

According to him, about $350 million was approved for the project, but only 36 per cent of the funding had been disbursed by the end of December 2024.

He said the public deserves an update on the implementation of the project's five key milestones, including progress on the Odaw drainage works.

"I think an update by the Government will help us understand the percentage of works done so far for all the five milestones of the Accra Resilient Projects which was to help mitigate the Accra flooding issues," the MP stated.