Kofi Adams: Govt Only Accounts for $42M of $200M GARID Loan

Kofi Adams, the Member of Parliament for Buem, has raised concerns about the accountability of funds from the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project. According to Adams, the government has only been able to account for $42 million out of the $200 million World Bank loan allocated for the project. This loan, approved in 2019, was intended to address issues such as flood mitigation, solid waste management, and infrastructure improvements in the Greater Accra region​ (OnuaOnline)​​ (Business Recorder)​.

Adams and other members of Parliament have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of transparency regarding the utilization of the GARID funds. As a result, there is significant resistance in Parliament to approving a new $150 million loan requested by the Ministry for Works and Housing until a detailed breakdown of the GARID expenditure is provided​ (OnuaOnline)​​ (AfricaBriefing)​. This scrutiny reflects broader concerns over financial management and accountability within the government, especially given the misallocation of previous funds which were partly diverted to support COVID-19 recovery efforts​ (OnuaOnline)​.

These issues have created significant controversy and have halted further loan approvals until the government can provide clear and comprehensive accounts of how the GARID funds were spent.