Former Energy Minister, Dr Kwabena Donkor, has issued a damning indictment of the state, accusing key institutions of “monumentally” failing citizens as flooding continues to overwhelm Accra and its environs, despite spending a whopping $655m in the past twelve years to mitigate it. He is, therefore, demanding forensic probe into how the money was spent.
In a statement titled: ‘The State Stands Indicted’, the former Pru East Member of Parliament named the Ministries of Works and Water Resources, Local Government, the Hydrological Services Authority, MMAs in Greater Accra for being complicit in the devastating floods.
He also cited the Public Procurement Authority, Parliament’s Works and Housing Committee, the Auditor-General’s Office and the Architectural and Engineering Services Department as other institutions that equally must be blamed for the crisis.
The former minister’s outburst followed renewed flood warnings and heavy Monday morning rains that forced the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed –Mubarak, to advise residents to stay home.
According to Dr Donkor, the advisory was proof of systemic failure. “What is wrong with us? That the Minister for the Interior had to issue communication for people to stay at home because of overnight rains?” he asked.
At the heart of the critique is money, as he pointed to the widening gap between public expenditure and tangible results on the ground, as far as money spent to mitigate the impact of floods is concerned.
Ghana, he noted, has spent an estimated $655 million over the last twelve years on flood prevention and mitigation, yet the situation has deteriorated.
“After spending Six Hundred and Fifty Five Million U.S. dollars in twelve years, the flooding situation is worse than when they first started!” he stated.
In view of this, he questioned whether the funds were expended or wasted. Dr Donkor is, therefore, calling for a root-and-branch review of how flood projects are procured and executed.
He proposed that there must be answers on impact, value for money and accountability.
“We must begin to examine our business processes and the way we procure and carry out works in this country,” he said.
His immediate proposal is a forensic audit to determine the impact of the “over half a billion dollars spent on flood prevention and or mitigation.”
The statement also warns against what he described as a looming fiscal repeat.
Dr Donkor said he anticipates “a deluge of demand on the exchequer for more funds to ‘throw’ at the challenge,” and urged government to resist.
“The State must resist this demand until we are told what would be done differently,” he cautioned, arguing that additional funding without reform will yield the same outcomes.
Beyond procurement, the former minister took aim at what he termed the collusion of “business and political” interests, saying both “must be stopped from raping the fatherland.”
He further questioned the silence of the country’s technical custodians saying “where are our engineering Councils and Faculties?” He challenged professional bodies to speak up and help restore technical integrity to national projects.
The flooding of Accra has become an annual emergency, displacing residents, damaging property and disrupting economic activity across the capital.
With the rainy season still active and public frustration rising, Dr. Donkor’s intervention adds pressure on state agencies to account for past spending and present a credible plan before requesting more resources.
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