The World Bank has blamed fiscal controls introduced by the Ministry of Finance for significantly delaying implementation of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development
The report indicates that the World Bank has blamed fiscal controls introduced by the Ministry of Finance for significantly delaying implementation of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, one of the country’s flagship programmes aimed at tackling chronic flooding in the capital.
It further notes that in its latest implementation update released in May 2026, the Bank downgraded the project’s implementation performance to “Moderately Unsatisfactory”, citing persistent funding constraints despite the project remaining fully financed.
“The implementation of GARID has been significantly constrained by fiscal measures introduced by the Ministry of Finance during 2025,” the report said.
The findings have taken on added significance following the devastating floods of June 29, which killed at least 12 people and renewed attention on Accra’s longstanding drainage and flood management challenges.
The $350 million GARID Project supports Ghana’s efforts to strengthen flood risk management, improve solid waste management and enhance urban resilience across selected metropolitan and municipal assemblies within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area.
The programme covers five major components, including drainage and flood risk infrastructure, solid waste management, urban upgrading, institutional coordination, project management and emergency response.
According to the World Bank, progress on the ground has lagged well behind planning.
Even so, the Bank stated progress toward the project’s overall development objectives remains broadly aligned with expectations.
It noted that the flood early warning system is fully operational and that solid waste collection from underserved communities has exceeded annual targets, although delays persist across several major civil works.
However, no public flood warning was issued ahead of the June 29 floods, prompting questions about the role the operational early warning system played during the disaster.
Although detailed engineering designs have been completed for most approved civil works, with the exception of the Ayidan landfill, construction has proceeded slowly.
Several contractors remain behind schedule, while decisions on terminating or restructuring persistently underperforming contracts have yet to be taken.
The Bank attributes much of the slowdown to financing restrictions imposed during 2025.
According to the report, the Ministry of Finance introduced a ceiling on project disbursements and temporarily swept GH¢13.8 million from the project’s designated account.
