Founding President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has defended the government’s management of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, rejecting claims that the project has been delayed by the current administration.
In a statement titled “What I Found on the GARID Project,” Mr. Cudjoe said it was inaccurate to suggest that the Government of Ghana or the Ministry of Finance had stalled implementation of the World Bank-funded initiative.
According to him, between 2019 and 2024, the previous administration drew down US$103.8 million from the project’s US$350 million World Bank facility.
However, he claimed that only a small fraction of the amount was used for the project’s core objective of flood prevention.
He stated that US$22.1 million, representing 21 per cent of the expenditure, went into training, while US$7.9 million, or seven per cent, was spent on consultancy services.
He further alleged that US$60.8 million, representing 59 per cent of the funds, was redirected to COVID-19-related expenditure, with an additional US$1.68 million used mainly for the purchase of vehicles.
According to Mr. Cudjoe, only US$11.4 million, representing about 11 per cent of the funds drawn down during the period, was invested in flood prevention and mitigation works.
He said the Mahama administration, upon assuming office, engaged the World Bank to repurpose the remaining funds to ensure they were used primarily for flood mitigation infrastructure.
Mr. Cudjoe argued that this decision should not be interpreted as a delay but rather as a deliberate effort to ensure the project delivers on its original mandate of protecting communities from flooding.
He disclosed that approximately US$3 million was spent on flood mitigation works under the GARID Project in 2025, while about US$10.52 million has so far been released for similar works in 2026.
According to him, the combined expenditure of US$13.52 million over the two-year period already exceeds the total amount spent on flood mitigation under the project during the previous six years.
He further revealed that the Ministry of Finance has approved the cedi equivalent of more than US$76 million for flood mitigation infrastructure under the GARID Project for 2026 and 2027.
Mr. Cudjoe also noted that, unlike previous years, no allocations have been made for training, consultancy services or vehicle purchases under the current phase of the project.
He maintained that the government’s focus has been to ensure every available dollar is directed towards protecting lives, property and communities from the recurring devastation caused by flooding.
