Residents of Nima, Akweteyman and Alogboshie, the three beneficiary flood prone communities under the Participatory Community Upgrading Component of the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project, have been urged to actively participate in the ongoing stakeholders’ engagement process to prioritise their communities’ needs for inclusion in the preparation of Community Upgrading Plans under the GARID Project.

This was made known by Joseph Ampadu-Boakye, the Slum Upgrading and Community Development Specialist for the GARID Project, during a series of stakeholders’ engagement workshops held in the three flood prone low-income communities in Accra.

“The GARID Project does not want to impose interventions on beneficiary communities, and that is why we are engaging you to prioritise your community needs as part of the process involve in the preparation of Community Upgrading Plans”, said Mr. Ampadu-Boakye.

Paul Asamoah Kukwaw, a consultant with the Planning and Detailed Engineering Consortium led by SWS Consulting Engineers, facilitated discussions with community leaders and a cross section of residents to identify and prioritise their community needs with respect to reducing flood risk, managing solid waste, and improving access to basic infrastructure including roads.

A cross-section of residents at the stakeholders’ workshop

Residents expressed their appreciation to the GARID Project for selecting their communities for the slum upgrading activities. They assured the project team of their unflinching support and cooperation for the successful implementation of the Project in their respective communities. “We are very grateful to the GARID Project for its timely interventions in our community. We believe these interventions will help reduce the impacts of flooding on the people of Alogboshie so, we will do everything within our means to ensure the success of the Project” said Mr. Moses Asor, Chairman of the Alogboshie Community Development Committee.  

Participatory Upgrading of Targeted Flood Prone Low-income Communities is one of the components of the GARID Project that focuses on improving access to basic infrastructure and services in the targeted communities within the Odaw River catchment.