The New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has called for a united national effort to tackle persistent flooding affecting parts of Accra during heavy rainfall.
Speaking on Tuesday, June 30, during a tour of some flood-hit communities following Monday’s downpour, Dr. Bawumia said addressing the perennial flooding requires collaboration among experts and stakeholders, regardless of political affiliation.
According to him, the recurring floods have become a national challenge that demands collective action and the expertise of professionals from various fields.
“All our energies, all our talents, all the engineers, all the hydrologists, we have to bring everybody together, regardless of party, because this is for Ghana. And let us do it for Ghana. Let us come together for Ghana and solve this problem for our country,” he said.
The former Vice President also appealed to Ghanaians to support individuals and families affected by the floods, stressing the urgent need for relief assistance.
“I want to ask everybody, let’s do this together, and let’s provide immediate relief to the people who are affected. People need food, people don’t have clothes, people don’t have mattresses. Let us make sure that we come immediately to their aid,” he stated.
He encouraged citizens, organisations and community groups to contribute in any way they can to support affected residents.
“Everybody should do something. Myself, I will try and help in the small way I can with some of these relief items. But I think that we are a country, our people, our communities are in need, and we should all chip in to come and help them,” he added.
The heavy rains on Monday, June 29, triggered widespread flooding across parts of the Greater Accra Region, resulting in loss of lives, displacement of residents, destruction of property, and a fire outbreak in the Odawna area.
In a related development, the Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has said the Akufo-Addo–Bawumia administration invested more than GH₵550 million in flood control projects aimed at addressing Accra’s persistent flooding challenge, insisting that the current government inherited a pipeline of ongoing works and financing commitments.
In a Facebook Post on Tuesday, June 30, he argued that the investments formed part of a sustained national strategy to tackle flooding through drainage infrastructure, engineering interventions, and maintenance works across flood-prone communities in the capital.
According to him, the funding supported both emergency responses and long-term structural projects, including drainage rehabilitation, desilting operations, and community-level flood mitigation measures.
Ahiagbah highlighted the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, a $200 million World Bank-supported initiative focused on reducing flooding within the Odaw River Basin through drainage upgrades, waste management reforms, and community infrastructure improvements.
He further noted that several major projects were already at various stages of execution before the change of administration, including dredging works on the Odaw River, drainage construction at Achimota-Abofu and South Kaneshie, and the Busia Highway drainage project.
He also cited the completion of protection works at Atomic East, alongside advanced procurement processes for detention pond projects at Atomic East and West, which he described as key to long-term flood control in Accra.
“Over eight years, the government allocated more than GHS550 million to emergency flood relief, drainage repairs, and desilting in flood-prone communities, year after year, because flood prevention requires maintenance, not just photo opportunities,” he noted.
Ahiagbah asserted that a Flood Early Warning System had also been introduced, with systems installed, service providers engaged, and safe zones identified to improve preparedness in vulnerable communities.
However, he said the central issue now is not only the scale of past investments, but the continuity of execution under the current National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration. He faulted the government for, in his view, failing to prioritize and sustain the implementation of projects initiated under the previous NPP administration.
“What Ghanaians deserve now is honesty about what has happened since. The current government did not inherit a void. It inherited momentum, secured financing, had active contractors, and a clear plan in motion. However, these inherited projects have noticeably slowed, and the question is why.
A government that inherits solutions and allows them to stagnate cannot blame its predecessor for failing to build on the momentum and the legacies it inherited. The NPP built momentum around addressing Accra’s flooding crisis. Ghanaians are entitled to know why the projects are now stalled,” he wrote.
