Accra floods tied to weak planning and governance, experts warn

Research by Ghanaian scholars links Accra’s recurring floods chiefly to poor land‑use planning, encroachment on wetlands and weak enforcement of existing regulations, rather than climate change alone. The study urges the city to protect and restore wetlands and adopt green urban infrastructure such as permeable pavements, rain gardens and constructed wetlands to restore natural drainage.

Climate specialists at the Environmental Sustainability Summit echoed these findings, noting that Ghana’s flood‑risk programmes focus on large‑scale infrastructure while neglecting community resilience, enforcement of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, and timely project delivery. They highlighted the need for stronger institutional capacity, transparent tracking of project progress and greater involvement of affected residents. The flagship Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) project remains under implementation, with limited public visibility of completed works, underscoring the governance gaps that leave vulnerable communities exposed.