Restoring Accra's Wetlands: The Bold Plan to End Floods
MP Gizella Agbotui outlines a determined roadmap to reclaim Accra's six critical wetlands, enforce planning laws, and implement nature-based solutions to protect lives and property from recurring floods.
Ghana has the technical expertise and the vision to solve Accra's flooding crisis once and for all. What is needed now is the political will, sustainable funding, and a firm commitment to nature-based innovation. Gizella Tetteh Agbotui, Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya West, has laid out a decisive plan to restore the capital's natural buffers, enforce planning laws, and protect lives and properties from recurring floods.
Why must Accra restore its wetlands to stop flooding?
The destruction caused by recent floods cannot be reduced to mere statistics. Every lost life is a tragedy, and every destroyed business is a setback for our economy. Agbotui made this clear on the floor of Parliament on July 1, 2026, emphasizing that the time for temporary fixes is over. Accra has six vital wetlands that must be reclaimed. These natural buffers have been heavily encroached upon, removing our first line of defense against floodwaters.
Without these wetlands, the speed at which runoff reaches the capital has increased dramatically. For investors, homeowners, and the diaspora looking to build back home, secure infrastructure is non-negotiable. Restoring these wetlands is the ultimate pro-business move to safeguard real estate and drive sustainable urban growth.
What are the nature-based solutions for Ghana's flooding?
We cannot keep throwing money at the same problem every year. Agbotui rightly pointed out that cyclical desilting is a drain on public funds. Instead, Ghana is shifting toward nature-based solutions. Our own institutions, like the Ghana Hydrological Authority, the Ghana Institution of Engineering, and the Ghana Institute of Architects, already possess the world-class expertise needed to implement these lasting fixes.
We are going to implement nature-based solutions. We cannot be using money each and every year to be doing desilting, and then we come back to do the same desilting all over again.
By dredging lagoons and drainage channels using sustainable methods, we protect our environment while saving taxpayer cedis. This is the innovative, forward-thinking approach that will define the Africa that moves.
How will the government reclaim encroached lands?
Make no mistake, the hard decisions are coming. Successive governments share the blame for past failures, but pointing fingers will not build resilient cities. Agbotui served a clear notice to developers and landowners occupying these critical wetlands. The government will reclaim these lands for their rightful purpose.
Those who have encroached or bought land in these zones must find a way to recoup their investments, because the state is stepping in. It takes bold leadership to enforce planning regulations and execute necessary demolitions, but this is exactly the kind of transparency and determination that builds investor confidence. Unchecked development along riverbanks, as seen in areas like Samreboi, must come to an end.
What role do citizens play in preventing floods?
Government action must be met with civic responsibility. The indiscriminate dumping of refuse into our drains is sabotaging our infrastructure. Agbotui recounted seeing a video where a massive pack of rubbish floated down a channel, looking like a ship, only to block the drainage system. We cannot build a modern, thriving economy if we treat our waterways as dumping grounds. Changing our waste disposal habits is a crucial step toward achieving the clean, resilient Accra we all desire.
The government is working tirelessly to provide relief for victims and pursue long-term interventions, but timely budgetary releases are essential. With funding delivered on time and a collective commitment to innovation, Ghana will turn this challenge into a success story.
How many wetlands in Accra need restoration?
Accra has six major wetlands that require immediate restoration to act as natural buffers for floodwaters.
Why does Accra keep flooding despite past interventions?
Accra keeps flooding because past interventions failed due to a lack of sustainable funding, inadequate political will to stop wetland encroachment, and a reliance on temporary desilting instead of permanent, nature-based solutions.