The Works and Housing Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has acknowledged the delays in implementing the National Flood Control Programme.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, the sector minister admitted the vulnerabilities in the government’s flood control efforts, stating, “We’re exposed, to be honest with you.”
He outlined the objectives of the National Flood Control Programme, emphasising the critical need for infrastructure development to avert perennial flooding as the rainy season approaches.
Highlighting the fiscal constraints hampering project execution, Mr Nkrumah revealed that funding challenges hindered the completion of projects in 2023.
He noted that despite transitioning into 2024, the Ministry still grapples with pending tasks from the previous year, exacerbating the pressure to address both outstanding 2023 initiatives and new projects slated for 2024.
“In 2023 we were supposed to undertake projects worth over GHS90 million alongside some of the smaller drainage channels and as I mentioned funding challenges did not allow all of it to take place. We’re currently in 2024, but we still have challenges from 2023.
“If you look at the medium-term programme, we still have 2023 projects that have not been completed and we have 2024 works which also needs to be done and possibly catch up on the 2023 works,” he said on Thursday.
He further indicated that the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, a cornerstone of flood resilience efforts, also lags behind schedule, further complicating the situation.
However, Minister Nkrumah reassured the public of his and his team’s unwavering commitment to rectify the situation, asserting, “Myself and my team are committed to running as quickly as possible to see what we can do.”
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