Ex‑Minister Slams NDC’s “Lazy” Approach to Accra Floods, Says Only NPP Has a Real Policy

Former Local Government Minister and Techiman South MP, Martin Adjei‑Mensah Korsah, has taken a swipe at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, describing its handling of Accra’s perennial flooding as “lazy” and lacking any coherent policy direction.

In an interview on Thursday, the former minister argued that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) remains the only administration to introduce a structured, engineering‑driven flood management plan, citing the World Bank‑funded Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) project.

He recalled how former President Akufo‑Addo convened experts to craft a long‑term solution, leading to the GARID initiative, which mapped out flood‑prone zones and prioritised interventions such as storm drains, dredging of the Odaw River, and improved water flow systems across the basin.

“The $350 million GARID programme is the only existing flood management policy in the country,” he said, adding that works at Kaneshie, Paloma and BoG Quarters significantly reduced flooding — and that “not a dime of the World Bank funds was lost.”

Korsah criticised the current government’s claim that squatters at project sites were preventing progress.

“For a government to say this when a major project of this magnitude is outstanding is despicable. Why can’t the full force of the state be brought to bear on those obstructing a project of far‑reaching consequence?” he queried.

He recounted visiting families of flood victims with former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, stressing that this is the moment for President John Mahama to deliver the solutions he promised.

“People are dying. This is not the time for lessons on flooding,” he said.

Korsah insisted that the NPP’s record on infrastructure and social interventions far outshines that of the NDC, pointing to projects such as Agenda 111 and the Ghana Productive Safety Net, which supports the School Feeding Programme.

He also referenced parliamentary acknowledgment of unused $200 million in GARID funding, noting that the World Bank has raised no concerns and only wants the project executed.

“We shall no longer watch on as NDC throws dust into the eyes of Ghanaians. In terms of development and life‑changing projects, NDC comes nowhere near the NPP,” he stated.

— Daily Guide