Political interference, weak enforcement and citizen non-compliance are major factors behind recurring flooding in parts of Accra, a local governance expert has said.
Richard Fiadmor, director of the Chamber of Local Governance, said responsibility for the situation is shared among authorities, traditional leaders and residents.
“I will give local government authorities about 30 percent of the blame, 40 percent to political interference and the rest to citizens who refuse to obey the law,” he said in an interview on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Friday (29 May).
Flooding has affected several communities around the Weija Dam following the controlled release of excess water, with residents blaming authorities for the impact.
Fiadmor said district assemblies have the legal authority to regulate development but are often constrained by external pressures.
“They have the engineers, planners and technical expertise,” he said. “But sometimes they are not allowed to perform their functions due to political interference.”
He also pointed to the role of some traditional leaders in facilitating the problem by selling land in protected areas.
“There are cases where chiefs sell lands they know are reserved for drainage or environmental protection,” he said.
Fiadmor added that some residents deliberately bypass permit processes, only seeking approval after construction has begun.
“People know they must go to the assembly for permits, but they ignore the process,” he said. “Later, when structures are demolished, they claim they bought the land legally.”
He acknowledged that corruption within some assemblies further complicates enforcement, with officials allegedly accepting payments to overlook unauthorised developments.
The governance expert stressed that district assemblies remain the legally mandated development authorities and must be central to any solution.
“The assembly knows where roads, schools and drains will be in the future,” he said. “That is why permits are required.”
He warned that decentralisation — a key feature of Ghana’s governance system — risks failure if local laws are not respected.
“If the bylaws of the assemblies are flouted, decentralisation will be defeated,” he said. “But if they are respected, it will work perfectly.”
Fiadmor called for stricter enforcement, including prosecution of offenders.
“People who build in waterways should be prosecuted after demolition,” he said. “The same applies to chiefs who sell protected lands.”
He emphasised that addressing flooding requires coordinated action across all stakeholders.
“The assembly alone cannot solve the problem,” he said. “We need full cooperation from citizens, traditional authorities and political actors.”
Authorities continue to urge residents in flood-prone areas to comply with evacuation directives as spillage from the Weija Dam persists.
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