Finance Ministry did not delay GARID project – Franklin Cudjoe challenges World Bank

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Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, the Minister of Finance

Franklin Cudjoe, the President of IMANI Africa, has challenged the World Bank claims that Ghana’s Finance Ministry significantly delayed implementation of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, with fiscal controls introduced.

According to Franklin Cudjoe, the World Bank claims are not accurate; he detailed that when the Mahama government took office, it sought to ensure that expenditure of the remaining funds aligned with what the GARID Project was meant to achieve.

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He disclosed that the Ministry of Finance engaged the World Bank and secured agreement to repurpose the remaining funds are redirecting them squarely toward flood prevention infrastructure.

Franklin Cudjoe argued that the Mahama goverbment took a responsible decision to make sure the money does what it was always supposed to do

In a post on X Franklin Cudjoe wrote, “It is not accurate that the Government of Ghana or the Ministry of Finance has delayed the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID).

Between 2019 and 2024, the previous administration drew down US$103.8 million from the World Bank $350m loan”.

He added, “When the Mahama administration took office, it sought to ensure expenditure of the remaining funds must  align with what the GARID Project was meant to achieve. So the Ministry of Finance engaged the World Bank and secured agreement to repurpose the remaining funds—redirecting them squarely toward flood prevention infrastructure.

That isn’t a delay. That is a deliberate, responsible decision to make sure the money does what it was always supposed to do: offer lasting protection to communities that have suffered for too long.

So far the following has been recorded.

In 2025, the government spent roughly US$3 million on actual flood mitigation works under the project. So far in 2026, about US$10.52 million has been released for the same purpose.

That brings the total for 2025–2026 to approximately US$13.52 million—already exceeding the US$11.4 million spent on flood works over the entire previous six-year period.

 The Ministry of Finance has already approved the cedi equivalent of more than US$76 million under the GARID project for flood mitigation infrastructure in 2026 and 2027.

As was in 2025 and 2026, no new amount was spent on “training, consultancies, or vehicles.”

The Ministry of Finance and the Government have not delayed the GARID Project. What they have done is refocus it—ensuring that every dollar now goes toward what it was originally borrowed for: protecting lives, property, and communities from the devastation of flooding”.

His comments follow the World Bank, which disclosed that Ghana’s Finance Ministry 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.

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