Accra Floods: Remove all illegal structures without favour or fear – Franklin Cudjoe

President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has called for the removal of illegal structures on wetlands and waterways, saying weak enforcement of building regulations and corruption have contributed to Ghana’s recurring floods.

Reacting to a JoyNews report on the findings of the Flood Mitigation Taskforce following the June 29 floods, Cudjoe questioned how developments were allowed on wetlands.

“How is this not indiscipline aided by weak enforcement of building codes and corruption?” he wrote on Facebook.

He proposed that the remaining GARID funds be redirected to clearing structures obstructing waterways.

“We first need the Army, which has already been engaged by the government, alongside citizen vigilantes, relevant Civil Society voices, and relentless public education, to remove all illegal structures without favour or fear,” he said.

“They should reclaim the lands to their original state and send the bill to all who allowed the concrete structures to be built and those who built them,” he added.

Cudjoe further suggested engaging engineering firms to undertake the work, arguing that this would be a better use of GARID funds than spending on financial management training and capacity-building programmes.