Accra – The World Bank has attributed major implementation delays affecting Ghana’s flagship Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project to fiscal controls introduced by the Ministry of Finance, warning that the restrictions have slowed critical flood prevention works despite the availability of project funding.
In its latest implementation update released in May 2026, the World Bank downgraded the project’s implementation performance rating to “Moderately Unsatisfactory,” citing persistent financing bottlenecks that have disrupted project execution.
According to the Bank, fiscal measures introduced by the Ministry of Finance in 2025 significantly constrained the implementation of GARID, limiting the project’s ability to maintain steady progress.
“The implementation of GARID has been significantly constrained by fiscal measures introduced by the Ministry of Finance during 2025,” the report stated.
The findings come at a time when Ghana’s flood management systems are once again under intense public scrutiny following the devastating floods of June 29, which claimed at least 12 lives and highlighted Accra’s continuing vulnerability to annual flooding.
The GARID Project, financed with approximately US$350 million, is one of Ghana’s most ambitious urban resilience programmes. It seeks to improve flood risk management, strengthen solid waste management systems, upgrade vulnerable urban communities and enhance institutional coordination across selected metropolitan and municipal assemblies within the Greater Accra Region.
The programme covers major drainage infrastructure, urban upgrading initiatives, emergency response interventions, project management and institutional strengthening.
Although the World Bank noted that the project remains broadly on course to achieve its overall development objectives, it expressed concern that implementation on the ground has fallen behind schedule.
The report indicated that engineering designs for most approved infrastructure projects have been completed, with the exception of the Ayidan landfill project. However, actual construction has been hampered by contractor delays as well as unresolved decisions over the restructuring or termination of poorly performing contracts.
Beyond these operational challenges, the World Bank identified financing constraints as the principal cause of implementation delays.
According to the report, the Ministry of Finance imposed restrictions on project disbursements and temporarily swept GH¢13.8 million from GARID’s designated project account, creating liquidity shortages that delayed payments to contractors and disrupted project timelines.
The Bank warned that although sufficient financing remains available to complete the programme, continued disruptions in fund releases could expose the project to additional delays, rising construction costs, contractor compensation claims, procurement bottlenecks and setbacks in resettlement activities.
The report noted that government has taken steps to ease some of the financial constraints following discussions with the World Bank.
After the Bank’s implementation support mission in February 2026, the Ministry of Finance processed a withdrawal application worth US$10.5 million, marking the first project withdrawal since November 2023.
Government also requested a restructuring of expenditure allocations and restored the GH¢13.8 million to the GARID project account in March 2026.
Despite these corrective measures, the World Bank cautioned that liquidity pressures have not been fully resolved, leaving implementation risks that could undermine the timely completion of one of Ghana’s most important flood mitigation and urban resilience initiatives.
