Ghana is paying a heavy economic price for its failure to prevent flooding, with billions of cedis being lost through poor planning, weak investment and ineffective infrastructure, economist Prof Peter Quartey has warned.

His comments come days after devastating floods swept through parts of Accra, the Central Region and other parts of the country. The disaster claimed at least 18 lives, destroyed homes and businesses, and left properties worth millions of cedis damaged.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express Business Edition on Thursday, Prof Quartey said the country continues to spend money without achieving results, describing the situation as a waste of scarce public resources.

“I am very worried because it looks like we are wasting money. We are not investing our money efficiently or properly,” he said.

He argued that Ghana’s investment in water, sanitation and hygiene remains far below what is needed to tackle the recurring crisis.

Prof Quartey said the government invests only about GH¢780 million a year in the national WASH programme, explaining that over 80% of that money is donor-funded.

According to him, the country is neglecting critical areas such as sanitation and waste management while the limited resources available are being poorly utilised.

“So we are not investing in waste management; we are not investing in sanitation. We are basically not investing; the little we are investing is also very inefficient,” he said.

Prof Quartey cited drainage projects as evidence that public funds are often spent without delivering lasting solutions.

“Recently, some money has been given for dredging and (for the construction of) storm drains, etc. If you drive on the Weija-Kasoa road near the West Hills Mall junction, you will see that storm drains have been constructed. A huge amount of money, you see iron rods, etc", but he said the drains have been poorly engineered and have consequently choked. "They are totally choked, with water running on the streets.”

“We have invested money but are getting nothing out of it, and that tells you how wasteful we are.”

He also questioned the country’s commitment to keeping cities clean, noting reports that contracts for street sweeping have not been renewed for months.

“I overheard Zoomlion saying for over eight months, the contract to sweep the streets has not been renewed.”

Beyond the physical destruction, Prof Quartey said recurring floods are eroding productivity across the economy.

He said workers spend hours in traffic because of flooded roads, wasting more fuel and arriving at work exhausted. Others also leave offices earlier than they should to avoid getting trapped in gridlock.

According to him, businesses suffer from disrupted supply chains, lost income and lower productivity, while transport delays prevent raw materials and goods from moving efficiently.

He said the psychological cost is enormous, coupled with the loss of human lives.

Prof Quartey said the annual cycle of flooding and blame has become unacceptable, insisting that stronger law enforcement is needed rather than repeated excuses.

“We blame people for poor waste disposal… if you don’t enforce your laws, it’s going to happen.”

He pointed to Britain’s success in curbing littering through strict enforcement. He questioned why Ghana cannot do the same.

“Can’t we stop it? Can’t we educate people? Can’t we enforce the laws? People block waterways and they get away with it.”

Expressing frustration with local governance, he proposed a radical change. “If I had my own way... in fact, I would stop appointing DCEs and MCEs. I would put retired military officers there to man the assemblies.”