Former President John Dramani Mahama has accused the government of misappropriating $150 million of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project works to improve flood risk and solid waste management in the Odaw River basin. He stated that the Ministry of Sanitation has also squandered another $43 million cash from the World Bank meant to desilt major drains in Accra.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate during community engagement at Odorko as part of Phrase III of his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region, emphasized the government had received enough funding to deal with perennial flooding but failed to utilize the money for the intended purpose.
“The NPP government has received more money for flood management than any other government. The World Bank gave the Ministry of Sanitation $43 million to distill the Odaw drain and the secondary drains. That money ended up under people’s beds,” he said in a veiled reference to the stacked cash found at the former Sanitation Minister’s residence.
Mr. Mahama added that the funds appropriated for GARID would not be used for its intended purposes, claiming that government officials would share the money among themselves.
He promised residents of Odorkor in the Ablekuma North constituency that the next NDC government will take concrete steps to address the flooding problem in the area.