News
Flooding Is a Structural Crisis, Not Seasonal: Ghana Engineers Call Out Government Failures
Ghana’s top engineering body says the country has a “knowledge problem” — it lacks the political will to implement proven solutions.
The Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) has issued a scathing assessment of the country’s flood management approach, declaring that Accra’s devastating floods are “no longer simply a seasonal occurrence” but a “structural challenge driven by rapid urbanisation, loss of natural infiltration areas, and fragmented management systems”.
The warning comes in the wake of the June 29, 2026, floods that claimed at least 12 lives, displaced 38,802 people across 7,761 households, and left seven others still missing. The torrential rainfall, which measured 169 millimetres in a single day, was the fourth-highest daily rainfall recorded in Ghana since 1995.
“Ghana Does Not Have a Knowledge Problem”
In a strongly worded position statement issued on June 30, the GhIE said Ghana already has the technical expertise to solve its flooding crisis but lacks the political will to implement proven solutions.
“Ghana does not have a knowledge problem. We have an action problem,” the statement declared.
The Institution warned that emergency responses alone are insufficient to protect lives and property.
“Today’s floods were not caused by rain alone. They were the result of how we plan, enforce laws, manage waste, design roads and channel water through our cities,” the engineers wrote. “Every one of these factors is within our control. We are simply choosing, year after year, not to change”.
Drainage Systems ‘No Longer Capable’
According to a policy brief presented by the Institution, Ghana’s cities can no longer rely on traditional centralised, conveyance-based drainage systems. Rapid urban expansion, widespread paving of land surfaces, poor waste management practices, and increasing rainfall intensity have significantly exceeded the capacity of existing drainage networks.
The Institution observed that flooding incidents have become more frequent and severe over the past decade, occurring even during periods of relatively low rainfall. “This suggests that the problem extends beyond climate change and reflects deeper weaknesses within existing stormwater management systems,” the policy brief noted.
Many drains have effectively become conduits for solid waste, reducing hydraulic capacity and compromising their intended function. The policy brief also singled out hydraulic constraints within the Odaw-Korle drainage system as a persistent contributor to recurring flood events across parts of the capital.
Institutional Fragmentation and Political Interference
The GhIE identified institutional fragmentation as a major obstacle to effective flood management. Responsibilities are spread across multiple agencies, while administrative boundaries often do not align with natural drainage basins, making coordinated catchment-wide planning difficult.
The engineers also took aim at unchecked development, calling for stricter enforcement of planning regulations, including a halt to construction on waterways and wetlands.
“Stop building in the wrong places, and mean it,” the engineers urged. “This is the hardest step, because it touches powerful interests and uncomfortable permits. It is also the one that matters most, because no amount of engineering can save a city that keeps building over its own rivers”.
On road infrastructure, the Institution warned that the Department of Urban Roads and the Ghana Highway Authority must be fully integrated into national flood management planning, ensuring that all road projects include properly designed drainage systems with dedicated maintenance funding.
“A road built without a working drain is just a future flood channel,” the statement warned.
A Radical Shift in Thinking
To address these challenges, the GhIE is advocating a transition towards decentralised, nature-based stormwater management systems that mimic natural hydrological processes. Recommended interventions include permeable pavements, bioswales, rain gardens, green roofs, detention systems, infiltration facilities, riparian buffers, and rainwater harvesting.
The Institution is also calling for a National Post-Development Runoff Control Policy to ensure that new developments do not generate runoff volumes and peak flows beyond pre-development conditions. In addition, it recommends a National Rainwater Harvesting Policy, stronger enforcement of land-use regulations, catchment-based planning units, protection of waterway buffer zones, and greater private-sector participation in green infrastructure development.
According to the GhIE, adopting these measures could significantly reduce flood frequency and severity, improve water quality, lower long-term infrastructure costs, create green jobs, and strengthen Ghana’s resilience to climate change.
Government Response
The government has since released GH¢350 million from the Contingency Fund to support emergency relief operations and flood mitigation measures. Of this amount, GH¢200 million has been earmarked for immediate humanitarian assistance, while GH¢150 million has been allocated to flood mitigation projects intended to strengthen drainage infrastructure.
But the GhIE has made clear that money alone will not solve the problem. The Institution reaffirmed its readiness to work with government agencies to translate its proposals into practical solutions ahead of the next rainy season.
“The evidence is clear,” the report concludes. “Ghana must shift from downstream, conveyance-based engineering to upstream, decentralised, nature-mimicking stormwater management. The time for policy reform is now”.
Ghana News
Ghana’s Nationwide Flood Clean-Up Kicks Off with Slow Start
ACCRA, Ghana – July 10, 2026 – A two-day nationwide clean-up exercise across seven flood-ravaged regions began Friday morning sluggishly.
Authorities have been urging residents, businesses, and institutions to ramp up participation as teams work to clear refuse, desilt choked drains, and restore public spaces following recent devastating floods.
The exercise, which commenced at 6:00 am local time, will run until 1:00 pm and resume on Saturday, July 11, during the same hours. While early-morning activity in several metropolitan areas was initially subdued, officials report that momentum is gradually building as local assemblies, waste management contractors, security services, and volunteer groups deploy to designated hotspots.
According to the government’s outlined schedule, the first day focuses on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), public and private institutions, educational bodies, and waste management firms.
Saturday’s phase will pivot toward community-led efforts, tapping into residents, traditional authorities, and volunteer networks to drive localized clean-up at the grassroots level.

In a bid to maximize turnout, non-essential shops, markets, and commercial establishments within the seven affected regions have been ordered to shut their doors from 6:00 am to 1:00 pm on both days, with exemptions granted only to essential and emergency service providers.
The Ministry has called on transport operators, religious groups, and corporate entities to actively back the initiative, framing it as a critical step toward restoring safe, hygienic communities after the flooding crisis.
Greater Accra, the epicenter of the recent deluge, hosts the bulk of the operation, with authorities identifying 104 flood-prone and affected locations across 17 assemblies. Key areas include, Ga South (Tetegu, STC, Mallam East, New Weija), Ga Central (Awoshie, Kolegu, Israel, A-Land), Ga North (Pokuase Footbridge, Ofankor Barrier), and Ga East (Dome Market, Abokobi Drain). In the capital’s core, heavy machinery and manual crews are converging on major drainage arteries such as Alajo, Kokomlemle, Pig Farm, Mamobi, Nima Highway, the Kanda stretch to Kawukudi, and the 37 Hospital corridor. Coastal communities like Teshie-Nungua, Prampram, Sege, and Tema West’s industrial and residential zones are also actively participating.
Despite the tepid start, authorities remain optimistic that participation will surge as the morning progresses, setting the stage for an even more robust community-driven effort on Saturday.
The exercise represents the government’s most visible response to the recent flooding emergency, mobilizing public administration and local governance structures to tackle the immediate environmental and health hazards facing affected populations.
Ghana News
Top 10 Newspaper Front Page Headlines in Ghana Today: Friday, July 10, 2026
Top 10 news stories on Ghanaian newspaper front pages dated Friday, July 10, 2026.
1. GHC350m Contingency Fund Release Controversy
- Appears in: The New Publisher, The Ghanaian Publisher, The Custodian, The Chronicle
- Summary: The Attorney General is under fire for allegedly instructing the Bank of Ghana to release GHC 350 million from the frozen Contingency Fund for flood relief, despite a court order blocking it. The Minority in Parliament is demanding a probe and blasting the AG’s “lawless” approach.
2. Abu Trica Extradited to US Over $8m Romance Scam
- Appears in: Daily Guide, Ghanaian Times, The New Publisher
- Summary: Socialite Abu Trica has been extradited to the United States to face charges related to an alleged $8 million romance fraud scheme. The extradition happened despite a lack of a court order reversing the decision on the Black Volta project (mentioned in related coverage).
3. GJA Gives NDC Chairman Seven Days to Apologise Over Obaatanpa Radio Attack
- Appears in: Supreme, Daily Guide
- Summary: The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has given the Central Regional Chairman of the NDC a seven-day ultimatum to apologise for an attack on Obaatanpa Radio. The incident has sparked significant backlash.
4. Gomoa East NPP Rallies Behind Francis Mensah for Chairman
- Appears in: Supreme, The Ghanaian Publisher, The Custodian, The Metro Lens
- Summary: The Gomoa East Constituency of the NPP is rallying to elect Francis Mensah as the next Constituency Chairman. This grassroots movement is a major story across multiple papers.
5. Azumah Resources Denies Reversal of Black Volta Project Ownership
- Appears in: News Centa, The Chronicle, Daily Guide
- Summary: Azumah Resources Ghana Ltd has refuted false media reports claiming that an ICC ruling reversed the acquisition of the Black Volta project. They insist they still own the project, calling the reports “a big lie.”
6. Amankwaa Donates GHC 100,000 Seed Fund to Ayawaso West NPP
- Appears in: Supreme, News Centa
- Summary: Samuel Owusu Amankwaa has donated GHC 100,000 as a seed fund to the Ayawaso West Wuogon NPP constituency ahead of the election of new executives.
7. North Dayi Boils Over: “Joycelyn Must Go” Protests
- Appears in: Supreme
- Summary: Residents of North Dayi are up in arms, with protests erupting under the banner “Joycelyn Must Go.” The protesters are chanting “Enough is Enough” over local grievances.
8. NHIA Cracks Down on Illegal Charges in Eastern Region
- Appears in: The Metro Lens
- Summary: The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has launched a crackdown on illegal charges being imposed on patients in the Eastern Region. The NHIA Boss is leading the effort.
9. $208m Methamphetamine Scandal
- Appears in: The Ghanaian Publisher, The Custodian
- Summary: An MP is demanding the prosecution of officials involved in a $208 million methamphetamine scandal. There are also calls for the government to name officials implicated, with accusations of a cover-up.
10. National Sanitation Exercise and Flood Recovery Clean-Up
- Appears in: Supreme, The Punch, The New Publisher, News Centa
- Summary: A nationwide clean-up exercise is underway to aid flood recovery, with various political figures and MCEs rallying residents to participate. The exercise is scheduled for the weekend, with a focus on recovery from recent floods.
Ghana News
President Mahama Backs Tighter Checks on His Own Office in Upcoming Constitution Vote
President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Ghana’s Cabinet will meet on Friday, July 10, 2026, to finalise the government’s position paper on constitutional reform.
The process is expected to recommend significant curbs on executive power, including tighter checks on the presidency itself.
The reforms stem from a year-long nationwide consultation conducted by the eight-member Constitutional Review Committee (CRC), chaired by Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, which submitted its final report to the President in December 2025.
The committee’s report, titled “Transforming Ghana: From Electoral Democracy to Developmental Democracy,” addressed perennial governance challenges and recommended measures to strengthen institutional checks and balances.
Speaking at the Jubilee House on Tuesday during a farewell ceremony for Switzerland’s outgoing Ambassador to Ghana, Simone Giger, President Mahama confirmed that significant progress had been made.
“I am pleased to inform you that we have made significant progress. Cabinet is scheduled to meet on Friday to finalise the Government’s Position Paper on the Constitutional Review,” President Mahama said.
He explained that once Cabinet concludes its work, the Legal Counsel and the Attorney-General would take one or two weeks to consolidate the document. It would then be handed over, together with the CRC’s report, to the Constitutional Review Implementation Committee to begin implementation.
President Mahama described the 1992 Constitution as one of the finest Ghana has ever had, noting that it had provided the foundation for the Fourth Republic — the longest-serving republic in the country’s history.
“We therefore believe that any amendments to the Constitution should strengthen it further and ensure that it remains a living document capable of serving Ghana effectively for the next three decades and beyond,” he said.
The Constitutional Review Committee’s recommendations are understood to include proposals to separate the Executive from the Legislature — preventing Members of Parliament from being appointed as ministers — as well as measures to decentralise power and enhance accountability.
The committee also recommended amendments to Chapter 25 of the Constitution to introduce a third route for amending entrenched provisions.
Ambassador Giger, who has supported the constitutional reform process throughout her four-year tenure in Ghana, welcomed the progress.
“We have always rooted for Ghana because we genuinely believe that constitutional reform is central to the country’s future development,” she said, adding, “If Ghana succeeds in adopting a truly people’s constitution, one that decentralises power, strengthens checks and balances on the Executive, and incorporates the many important reforms currently under consideration, I believe the future of this country will be exceptionally bright.”
President Mahama also used the occasion to acknowledge Switzerland’s support for Ghana’s small and medium enterprises, particularly in agro-processing and agribusiness, an area he described as one of the missing links in the country’s agricultural value chain.
The constitutional review process, initiated in 2025, follows two previous attempts that failed to build sufficient consensus for significant change.
The government has pledged to establish the Constitutional Review Implementation Committee to oversee the roll-out of the reforms.
Once the position paper is finalised and consolidated, it will be made public and subjected to the necessary constitutional and parliamentary scrutiny.
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