Accra Floods: Franklin Cudjoe dismisses claims of GARID Project delay

The President of policy think-tank IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has dismissed claims that the government has delayed the implementation of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, insisting that the project has instead been refocused to prioritise flood mitigation.

In a Facebook post shared on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, Cudjoe said it was inaccurate to suggest that the Government of Ghana or the Ministry of Finance had delayed the project.

According to him, the current administration reviewed the use of the remaining funds under the project after taking office from the previous government and engaged the World Bank to ensure that the money would be spent on its original purpose of protecting communities from flooding.

"It isn't a delay. That is a deliberate, responsible decision to make sure the money does what it was always supposed to do; offer lasting protection to communities that have suffered for too long," he wrote.

Cudjoe in his post gave a breakdown of money drawn from the World Bank's US$350 million GARID facility between 2019 and 2024, by the previous administration.

He said US$22.1 million, representing 21 per cent of the amount, was spent on training, while US$7.9 million, or seven per cent, went into consultancies.

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He added that US$60.8 million, accounting for 59 per cent of the funds, was redirected to COVID-19-related expenditure, while US$1.68 million was used largely for the purchase of vehicles.

According to him, only US$11.4 million, representing about 11 per cent of the amount drawn, was spent on flood prevention and mitigation works.

"Just US$11.4 million, barely 11% of the entire loan, was actually spent on flood prevention and mitigation works. Put plainly, nearly US$9 out of every US$10 went to things other than protecting Ghanaians from floods. Only US$1 out of every US$10 was used for the project's core purpose," he stated.

Cudjoe said the Mahama administration has since redirected the remaining funds towards flood control infrastructure.

He disclosed that approximately US$3 million was spent on flood mitigation works under the project in 2025, while about US$10.52 million has so far been released for the same purpose in 2026.

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