The IMANI Centre for Policy and Education has raised fresh concerns about the adequacy of remaining funding under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) project, cautioning that Accra may still remain highly vulnerable to flooding despite years of intervention and investment.
In a policy brief titled “GARID and Urban Governance as Adaptation and Strategic Measures to Address Perennial Floods,” released on Monday, June 8, 2026, the policy think tank noted that the capital continues to suffer recurring floods, building collapses, and fire outbreaks more than a decade after the June 3, 2015 disaster that claimed over 150 lives and caused extensive economic damage.
The GARID initiative, financed by the World Bank, was designed to address long standing challenges including chronic flooding, poor waste disposal systems, weak drainage infrastructure, and broader climate related vulnerabilities in the Greater Accra Region, with particular focus on the Odaw River Basin.
However, IMANI argues that questions remain over whether the remaining financial resources under the project are sufficient to deliver the scale of structural and engineering interventions required to effectively protect the city from future flooding events.
According to the brief, the project was initially approved for funding of 350 million United States dollars. However, 65 million dollars was later redirected by the World Bank to support emergency COVID 19 response measures, leaving approximately 285 million dollars available for core infrastructure works.
The think tank further noted that as of June 2025, more than 118 million dollars had already been expended out of the 127 million dollars that had been disbursed, significantly narrowing the fiscal space available for remaining works.
“With over $118 million already spent from the $127 million drawn down so far, as of June 2025, the margin for error is shrinking rapidly,” IMANI stated.
The organisation also highlighted concerns about the distribution of remaining funds across 17 metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies, warning that the scale of works required in areas such as the Odaw Basin presents a major implementation challenge.
It argued that the cost of climate adaptation, coupled with damage from increasingly severe weather events, raises doubts about whether the remaining resources can fully cover the extensive scope of works still required.
While acknowledging some progress made under GARID, particularly in drainage improvement and waste management interventions, IMANI described overall outcomes as largely incremental rather than transformative.
Citing its November 2025 governance and accountability study on climate adaptation, the think tank observed that while some project implementation units have demonstrated strong technical competence, others continue to face staffing gaps and limitations in engineering capacity.
It also pointed to communities such as Agbogbloshie, where flooding persists due to incomplete works along parts of the Odaw River, despite an extension of the project timeline to 2027.
IMANI further cautioned that challenges relating to contractor performance and institutional inefficiencies could pose a greater risk to project success than funding constraints alone.
“If the money is available but the execution is stalled by poor contractor oversight and limited local capacity, then the funding amount becomes secondary to the management of these human and institutional failures,” the brief noted.
The organisation warned that GARID should not be treated as a routine infrastructure programme, stressing that Ghana’s urban resilience strategy must match the increasing intensity of climate related risks affecting Accra.
“We cannot afford to view GARID as a project that will fix itself. If the government continues to treat it as a routine infrastructure program, the city will remain vulnerable to the next disaster,” IMANI cautioned.
The think tank is therefore urging government to strengthen oversight mechanisms, improve coordination among implementing institutions, and ensure more efficient use of remaining resources to build long term resilience against flooding and other climate related threats in the capital.
