The first project under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development project (GARID) has been launched by the Minister for Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye.
The project aims to enhance flood risk and solid waste management, as well as basic infrastructure and services, in low-income communities that are prone to flooding in the Greater Accra Region.
The minister said that the government has invested heavily in the National Flood Control and Priority Drainage Programmes, which seek to address the problem of solid waste dumping into drains and maintain existing drainage systems.
He was speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony that marked the start of the first GARID project in Accra.
He added that similar projects would soon begin in Akweteyman and Nima, and then in the other two low-income settlements that are beneficiaries of the project.
He said that these interventions demonstrate the government’s commitment to improving the living conditions, public services, and resilience of low-income communities to flooding and other natural disasters in the Greater Accra Region.
GARID, a two hundred million flood mitigation intervention initiative, will focus on improving drainage systems, addressing solid waste management challenges, enhancing roads, extending streetlights, and improving water supply.
The launch of the first phase of the project is anticipated to significantly improve access to basic services, infrastructure, and housing in the targeted communities.
Minister Francis Asenso-Boakye highlighted the event as a crucial milestone in addressing persistent issues such as flooding, poor road conditions, and slum situations in the country.
Madhu Raghunath, the Practice Manager for Urban Resilience and Land Global Practice at the World Bank, expressed optimism about the project’s potential replication across the country, contributing to building urban resilience and improving the overall urbanization rate.