World Bank to assist Accra to be resilient

The World Bank says it is committed to assisting the Government of Ghana in ensuring a resilient and thriving Accra.

Mr Ivo Imparato, Programme Leader for Sustainable Development, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, World Bank, said there was a window of opportunity for cities and investors alike to meet the challenge of urban resilience, but it would take a significant amount of support.

Mr Imparato made these remarks in Accra during the launch of the 'Enhancing Urban Resilience in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA)' report.

Following the June 3, 2015 floods, which affected Accra and surrounding areas, the Government and the World Bank jointly implemented the CityStrength methodology to understand GAMA's exposure to risks, level of resilience and performance of urban system.

He noted that proactively investing in resilience - prior to the occurrence of a catastrophic event - represents a strategic and cost-efficient shift from past development trends whereby investments were largely mobilized towards recovery and reconstruction post-disaster.

Mr Imparato noted that: 'Saturday, June 3 will mark the second anniversary of the devastating floods of June 3, 2015 which affected more than 50,000 residents and led to the death of 150 people following an explosion at a filling station'.

He said the World Bank supported the government to carry out a needs assessment right after the floods, which identified $ 105 million re-construction needs in the transport, housing and water sectors alone - reflecting just how quickly disasters could take away development gains, in addition to their human toll.

'Events like this are not only affecting Accra. A recent World Bank report reveals that Global Average Annual Losses from disasters in the built environment are now estimated at $ 314 billion and can increase to $ 415 billion by 2030,' he said.

'This rise in disaster impacts is happening along with increased urbanisation. As we all know, urbanisation is one of the defining trends of this century. Today's cities are home to more than half of the world's population.'

He said currently, cities were adding 1.4 million people per week and generating more than 80 per cent of global gross domestic products (GDP).

He said although it was the least urbanized continent today, Africa would soon surpass Asia as the fastest-urbanizing region, leading the world in urban growth in the near future.

Mr Imparato said the GAMA was no exception. Currently estimated to be home to over 4 million people, it is projected to house over 10 million by 2040.

He said GAMA contributed 25 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) and was an economic hub in the West African regional corridor.

'However, scale economies - the underlying factor for cities to become engines of growth - do not take place automatically.

'How cities are planned, financed and managed has fundamental impacts on the outcome and performance of cities, as well as the well-being of their residents. 'Concentration of people and assets, along with rapid and mostly unplanned growth, expose urban areas to a complex range of shocks and stresses which put in jeopardy human wellbeing and hard-won development gains,' he said.

He said: 'Given all these alarming trends, it's clear that ensuring well-planned and resilient cities is a priority in the development agenda.

'There is a window of opportunity for cities and investors alike to meet the challenge of urban resilience, but it will take a significant amount of support.

'Proactively investing in resilience - prior to the occurrence of a catastrophic event - represents a strategic and cost-efficient shift from past development trends whereby investments were largely mobilised towards recovery and re-construction post-disaster.'

He said through the CityStrength Diagnostic, there had been an exciting engagement process which included; many of us here today - stakeholders at all levels of government, representatives from all 16 MMDAs, civil society, academic institutions, and development practitioners.

Mr Ishmael Ashitey, the Regional Minister said the Regional Co-ordinating Council was committed and ready to provide the necessary leadership, requisite advisory services, capacity building support and technical backups to MMDAs towards the realisation of the laudable initiative.