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NPP defends Akufo Addo administration’s record on flood control
The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has defended the flood management record of
former president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration, arguing that it pursued long term solutions to address flooding in Accra.
In a facebook post on Tuesday 30th June 2026, Mr Ahiagbah maintained that flooding in the capital had been a challenge for successive governments and could not be solved through short term emergency responses alone.
According to him, the Akufo Addo administration established a Cabinet Sub Committee in 2017 to develop a comprehensive plan to tackle persistent flooding, particularly in Accra.
He indicated that the government invested more than GH¢550 million over eight years in emergency flood relief, drainage repairs and desilting exercises in flood prone communities.
Mr Ahiagbah highlighted the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project (GARID), a US$200 million programme supported by the World Bank, as a key intervention undertaken by the previous administration.
According to him, the project focused on drainage construction, flood mitigation infrastructure, solid waste management, upgrading vulnerable communities and improving disaster preparedness within the Odaw River Basin.
He explained that about US$92 million was allocated for climate resilient drainage infrastructure, US$42.2 million for solid waste management systems and US$58.8 million for upgrading low income communities located in flood prone areas.
Mr Ahiagbah further noted that the government secured an additional US$150 million in 2024 to continue implementing the GARID project after changes to World Bank funding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He stated that by the end of the Akufo Addo administration, dredging works on the Odaw River had begun, drainage projects were underway at Achimota Abofu and South Kaneshie, while drainage works along the Busia Highway had been awarded.
He added that protection works at Atomic East had been completed and that a modern flood early warning system for Accra was also being introduced.
Mr Ahiagbah described the proposed Atomic East and Atomic West detention ponds as one of the most significant flood control projects planned under the previous administration, explaining that they had reached the final design stage before the NPP left office in January 2025.
He argued that the current administration inherited ongoing projects, secured funding and active contractors, but claimed that many of the projects had slowed down.
According to him, Ghanaians deserved an explanation for the delays, insisting that the previous administration had laid a strong foundation for addressing Accra’s flooding challenges.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The 30th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Media Awards has celebrated three decades of recognising excellence and contributions to journalism and national development, while highlighting the media’s role in Ghana’s democracy.
Marking the milestone, Philip Osei Bonsu of the Multimedia Group emerged as the GJA/P.A.V. Ansah Journalist of the Year.
The Ghanaian Times’ Benedicta Gyimah Foley won the Best Feature Reporting, Print category, alongside other journalists recognised across various media platforms.
Other winners included Nathaniel Attoh, Best in Sports Reporting; and Godwin Asediba of Media General, Best in TV Documentary; Doreen Ampofo of GBC, Best in Radio Documentary; and freelance journalist Nii Adjei Mensahfio, Best in Online Documentary.
Daniel Kwabena Mantey was adjudged Best in TV Feature, while Clinton Yeboah of Luv FM won Best in Radio Feature, with Gilbert Azeem Tiroog of GNA taking Best in Online Features.
For news reporting, Mohammed Fugu of the Daily Graphic won Best in Print News Reporting, Nabil Ahmed Rufai, a freelance journalist, Best in TV News Reporting; Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman of EIB Network, Best in Radio News Reporting; and Timothy Ngnenbe of the Daily Graphic, Best in Online News.
The ceremony, held in Accra last Saturday on the theme, “Celebrating Excellence, Advancing Media Freedom and Combating Hate Speech in the Digital Age”, was attended by President John Dramani Mahama as the special guest of honour.
Also in attendance were the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, among others.
In his address, President Mahama announced a GH₵10 million allocation in the 2027 national budget as seed capital for the reactivated Media Development Fund to support journalists’ welfare, professional development, investigative reporting and safety training, with additional corporate contributions expected.
Mr Mahama, also urged media practitioners to uphold professionalism and accuracy by avoiding sensationalism, unsubstantiated allegations and the deliberate pursuit of scandals, while promptly correcting inaccurate reports and apologising when necessary to maintain public trust and professional standards.
On journalists’ safety, he assured that the government would continue to act against attacks on them.
By Stephanie Birikorang
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Today, I focus on the theme of Ghanaian/African migrants in Finland and economic empowerment, a move away from the topic of personalities or groups and their accomplishments within the Ghanaian community in Finland that I have been writing on.
In recent times, African migrant associations and Finnish institutions are organising meetings or forums and help people seeking employment to meet employers or build professional networks to achieve economic empowerment.
Such forums are usually open to their members and anyone of African descent.to get into the Finnish job market.
Competences
Researchers and experts say entrepreneurship or self-employment has great potential to offer a route for migrants, including highly-educated ones, to participate in and contribute to the local economy.
Competences, including knowledge and knowhow, opportunities, and social capital such as family support, language, etc., are necessary to boost the entrepreneurship endeavour.
Competence in the official Finnish or Swedish languages is undoubtedly a key quality to improve employment prospects, especially for migrants since the overall unemployment among migrants could be higher than in the mainstream Finnish population.
There could also be particular privileges which may be the provision of the right information for potential entrepreneurs or job seekers.
Barriers and stress factors
Although language has a huge potential to contribute positively to entrepreneurship possibilities, studies have shown that some of the major stress factors are language problems, finances or economic capital among African migrants.
Other barriers or challenges may be how to grow the business venture or its sustainability.
Thus, migrant communities can generally be highly vulnerable to language barrier, lack of information, the nature of the work of migrants in professions where working from home is not possible.
Migrant associations, social networks, and information
By their activities, migrant associations are doing much to educate and create awareness as well as enhance economic empowerment through migrants’ entrepreneurship or self-employment and enhance opportunities.
Such associations and institutions become networks that create an important social capital as well as outlets for sharing and gaining information or knowledge. Also, it will all be for societal good if such activities are able to help reduce stress and anxiety in the migrants’ entrepreneurship endeavours.
As I keep pointing out, Finland is committed to the integration of migrants into the Finnish society. A number of research studies from surveys and other in-depth enquiries have shown a trend of increasing efforts to integrate African and other migrants into the Finnish society.
Public agencies, migrant associations and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Finland have been publishing information to help educate people, which is also good for their wellbeing.
Generally, migrant associations formally create awareness among their members and other migrants usually in collaboration with some Finnish institutions, and are thus an important tool for several migrants to be positively active and to get their interests and claims heard.
As I wrote previously, the role of migrant associations acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
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