When leadership fails, citizens drown - Researcher slams Ghana’s flood response cycle

A Ghanaian researcher has accused political leaders and local assemblies of shifting blame for annual flooding, arguing that “indiscipline begins with leadership” long before citizens dump waste in drains.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, June 10, 2026, Eric Addo, Researcher & Data Analyst, said Ghana’s conversation on flooding changes depending on which party is in power.

“When parties are in opposition, responsibility is placed where it naturally belongs — on government, assemblies, and failed urban planning,” Addo stated.

He added that once the same parties assume office, “the conversation often changes too. Suddenly, the focus shifts almost entirely toward the ordinary citizen.”

“Flooding becomes a story of indiscipline. Citizens are blamed for building wrongly and dumping waste, while demolitions become the dominant public response,” he said.

“Citizen actions contribute. No one denies waste in gutters and buildings in waterways worsen flooding. But the harder question is where indiscipline truly begins,” Addo stated.

Addo argued that District, Municipal, and Metropolitan Assemblies are funded by taxpayers to plan, enforce building codes, and maintain drains before the rains.

“If these institutions are effectively performing these duties, then why do we continue witnessing the same preventable disasters year after year?” he asked.

“Demolishing completed homes is not discipline. Discipline is stopping illegal construction at the foundation stage,” Addo said.

“Discipline is desilting the Odaw and other drains before May, not after families are displaced,” he continued.

The researcher also criticised the practice of transferring officials instead of sanctioning them. “If public officials contribute to decisions that cause losses for citizens, should administrative transfers alone be regarded as sufficient consequences?” Addo asked.

He said the cycle of demolitions after construction is itself a form of institutional failure. “If a structure was illegal from the very beginning, why was enforcement absent at the very beginning? Why do we wait until homes are fully completed before acting?” he stated.

Addo called for a national prevention campaign focused on desilting drains, dredging waterways, expanding drainage, and enforcing planning laws early.

“Imagine if every District Assembly was tasked with an annual ‘Operation Clean the Gutters’ programme before the onset of the major rainy season,” he said.

He noted that communities from Katamanso to Ashaiman and Dawhenya continue to suffer because basic drainage is missing or has been abandoned.

“Sometimes it feels as though only a few privileged parts of Accra receive consistent attention, while many other communities are left to cope with deteriorating infrastructure,” Addo stated.

“Are the people in these communities not Ghanaians? Do they not pay taxes? Do they not deserve safe roads and proper drainage systems?” he asked.

“Citizens must play their part. But leadership sets the tone. Indiscipline in communities often mirrors indiscipline in the institutions meant to govern them,” he added.

He concluded that Ghana will only break the flood cycle when discipline is demanded of institutions and leaders first, not just ordinary citizens.

“The greater responsibility for discipline must rest with leadership and public institutions, not the ordinary citizen,” Addo said.

“Protecting lives and homes begins with leaders who act before the rain, not after the flood,” he stated.