Failure to Implement 2017 Ghana Infrastructure Plan Responsible for Recurring Floods – NDPC Chairman
The Board Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has blamed the recurring flooding in Accra and other parts of the country on the failure to implement key recommendations contained in the Ghana Infrastructure Plan developed in 2017.
According to Dr Thompson, many of the devastating floods experienced in recent years could have been significantly minimised or even avoided if the plan had been properly executed.
Speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Dr Thompson said the blueprint provided comprehensive measures to tackle flooding nationwide.
“It’s quite avoidable. What we’re seeing shouldn’t have happened. The impact would have been minimal. The Ghana Infrastructure Plan talks about what we have to do about flooding, not just in Accra but also in other parts of the country,” he stated.
He explained that the plan proposed various interventions, including improved drainage systems, flood control infrastructure, coastal protection projects, and institutional reforms to manage urban flooding more effectively.
“It included institutional arrangements for flood control and coastal protection and addressed Accra and other urban drainage challenges, including flood management practices. We talked about all these things in 2017 and put them in a book, and nobody worked with it,” Dr Thompson lamented.
He argued that adherence to the plan would have helped reduce the severity and frequency of flooding incidents across the country.
Dr Thompson’s comments follow recent flooding in parts of Accra that displaced several residents and prompted the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other agencies to demolish structures deemed to pose serious risks to lives and property.
The NDPC Chairman’s remarks have renewed calls for better implementation of long-term infrastructure and urban planning strategies to make Ghana’s cities more resilient to climate-related disasters.
