The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) is urging government to move beyond emergency response and prioritize long-term flood prevention solutions.
The Association says recurring floods should no longer be treated as seasonal disasters but as governance failures requiring decisive action.
Speaking at a media briefing on Thursday, 9th July, 2026, the President of the Association, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour said the problem reflects failures in land-use planning, drainage maintenance, environmental enforcement, urban design, disaster preparedness and climate adaptation.
He said, “Year after year, we see the same pattern. Drains are left unattended until the rains arrive. Buildings go up on waterways. Wetlands are encroached upon. Waste clogs our drainage systems. Local planning rules are ignored. Sanitation enforcement is weak. Emergency response arrives after the damage has already been done. This cycle is unacceptable.”
Mr Dwumfour on behalf of the GJA called for a comprehensive national flood resilience strategy which he explained should be anchored in science, enforcement and public responsibility especially with the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies.
“Such a strategy must include the expansion, redesign, and sustained maintenance of drainage infrastructure in high-risk areas, an annual and timely desilting of drains before the rainy season, not after communities are already submerged. Also, strict enforcement of land-use planning and building regulations by MMDAs, the protection and restoration of wetlands, waterways, and natural flood buffers that have been destroyed by encroachment and uncontrolled development.”
Other strategies he suggested were mapping of flood-prone zones and the use of flood-risk data in approving future development, stronger sanctions for developers, land guards, contractors, and public officials who ignore environmental and planning laws together with a serious national campaign on waste segregation, plastic reduction, and public sanitation.
The GJA however commended Government for its swift response to the recent flooding with the introduction of the 2-day clean up exercise and particularly the appointment of Brigadier General Forster Okae-Yeboah, Director General of Joint Operations of the Ghana Armed Forces, to spearhead a robust and nationwide flood mitigation exercise.
By Samuel Yeboah Adams
