Works and Housing Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has admitted flood control preparedness has been delayed due to resource constraints.

He outlined the objectives of the National Flood Control Programme, emphasising the critical need for infrastructure development to avert perennial flooding as the rainy season approaches.

Highlighting the fiscal constraints hampering project execution, Mr Nkrumah revealed that funding challenges hindered the completion of projects in 2023.

The minister stated that the project is a $200 million project funded by the World Bank, adding “But what has actually been released or spent is not up to two hundred million dollars but the implementation has been slow for a number of reasons.”

According to Mr Nkrumah, he recently met with the coordinator and contractor overseeing the project to urge them to quicken the pace of work.

He revealed that there are still flood control projects that have yet to be undertaken in the Kaneshie area of Accra.

“So until it is done, and to do that, we have to do the engagement with the people, pay compensation to project-affected people, secure the landlocks that we need. We have to do detention ponds that will arrest the water coming from the hilly areas of the Greater Accra region.”

“So there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. Not all of it has been done. We are running as much as we can. I’m sure you see me every time with the contractor, chasing them, trying to get their payments for them so that they can deliver.

"But we are behind schedule. We would do our best with the time and resources that we have and we would make a case for more resources and some more seriousness in getting the work done so that in the shortest possible time, it will be a thing of the past,” he said.