The World Bank has disclosed that Ghana’s Finance Ministry, led by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, significantly delayed implementation of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project with fiscal controls introduced.
The Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project is one of the country’s flagship programmes aimed at tackling chronic flooding in the capital.
In the World Bank implementation update released in May 2026, the Bank downgraded the project’s implementation performance to “Moderately Unsatisfactory”, mentioning persistent funding constraints despite the project remaining fully financed.
“The implementation of GARID has been significantly constrained by fiscal measures introduced by the Ministry of Finance during 2025,” the report said.
The $350 million GARID Project is aimed at strengthening Ghana’s flood risk management, improving solid waste management and enhancing urban resilience across selected metropolitan and municipal assemblies within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area.
It covers five major components, including drainage and flood risk infrastructure, solid waste management, urban upgrading, institutional coordination, project management and emergency response.
According to the World Bank, progress on the ground has lagged well behind planning.
Part of a news article sighted by JoyNews stated, “It noted that the flood early warning system is fully operational and that solid waste collection from underserved communities has exceeded annual targets, although delays persist across several major civil works.
However, no public flood warning was issued ahead of the June 29 floods, prompting questions about the role the operational early warning system played during the disaster.
Although detailed engineering designs have been completed for most approved civil works, with the exception of the Ayidan landfill, construction has proceeded slowly.
Several contractors remain behind schedule, while decisions on terminating or restructuring underperforming contracts have yet to be taken.
The Bank attributes much of the slowdown to financing restrictions imposed during 2025”.
The World Bank further disclosed that in February 2026, a withdrawal application of $10.5 million was processed, the first project withdrawal since November 2023.
“Following the February 2026 implementation support mission, the MoF initiated corrective actions, including the processing of a withdrawal application of $10.5 million, the first since November 2023.”
Also, reports suggest the government also submitted a formal restructuring request to allow funds to be reallocated across expenditure categories. However, the Bank says those measures have only partially eased the liquidity constraints.
“These actions have partially eased liquidity constraints but have not fully addressed the financing gap affecting works implementation.”
The World Bank findings have taken on added significance following the devastating floods of June 29, which killed at least 12 people and renewed attention on Accra’s longstanding drainage and flood management challenges.
Meanwhile, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, the Interior Minister, has provided a thorough account of the destruction caused by heavy rains on June 29 in Ghana’s capital Accra.
According to the Interior Minister, more than 7,700 households were displaced, with 38,802 people affected, while seven persons are still missing.
The minister disclosed that the downpour inundated several communities with thousands of residents in 18 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
He added, “When you put all these numbers together, we have a total of 7,761 households that were displaced with 38,802 individuals affected, with seven persons still missing as of this morning”.
See the post below:
A new World Bank Restructuring Report reveals that the Finance Ministry's fiscal controls, including a GHS13.8 million fund sweep, have delayed GARID project implementation and stalled contractor payments.#3NewsGH #TV3GH pic.twitter.com/zpcwzvjhD4
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) July 1, 2026
