The World Bank has accused the Mahama administration of slowing down a $350 million project it funded to tackle perennial flooding in Greater Accra.
The Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project, GARID, begun under the previous Akufo-Addo government, is designed to reduce flood risk in the capital.
It is also to improve solid waste management, and strengthen urban upgrading, institutional coordination, and emergency response.
But in its May 2026 implementation update, the World Bank rated GARID’s progress “moderately unsatisfactory” and blamed the government for causing funding delays for the setback.
According to the report, “the implementation of GARID has been significantly constrained by fiscal measures introduced by the Ministry of Finance during 2025.”
The Ministry, the report said, placed a cap on disbursements and swept GH₵13.8 million from the project’s account, thus creatinh severe cash constraints, leading to unpaid Interim Payment Certificates and delayed payments to contractors.
The World Bank said sufficient funds remain available to complete the project.
However, it said the disruption to cash flow has created operational risks including cost overruns, contractor claims, price adjustments, and procurement pressures.
The report noted that although the government too some steps after engaging it, including the processing of a $10.5 million request in February, the return of the GH₵13.8 million it swept and a submission of a formal request to reallocate funds across expenditure categories, the pace of the project remain unsatisfactory.
“These actions have partially eased liquidity constraints but have not fully addressed the financing gap affecting works implementation.”
A little over a month after the report, Greater Accra was hit by heavy floods on Monday, June 29.
The rains displaced thousands and caused loss of life and property — exactly the kind of damage GARID was meant to prevent.