Accra flooded three days after the government set a 2027 date for the Odaw dredging

On Friday, 26 June 2026, the Works Minister told Parliament that the dredging of the Odaw River would be finished by December 2027. Three days later, on Monday, 29 June, Accra flooded.

The Interior Minister told Parliament that 169.2 mm of rain fell that day, citing the Ghana Meteorological Agency. At least 12 people died, seven were reported missing, and 7,761 households were displaced. Later reports put the death toll at 13.

For people in Accra, the story was not new.

The river

The Odaw runs from the north of the city through Kaneshie and Circle into the Korle Lagoon, and out to the sea. About 60% of Accra drains into it. When it is blocked, the city floods.

1961 to 1995

In 1961, four years after independence, the government took over the Korle Lagoon and dredged it because of flooding. The land around it was raised.

In July 1968, five inches of rain fell, which the Daily Graphic called the most in nine years. In July 1995, rain began at midnight and Accra was under water by morning. The Graphic called it the worst flood in more than 50 years, with at least 20 dead. A later UN count put the toll at 45.

3 June 2015

On 3 June 2015, people sheltering from heavy rain gathered under the canopy of the GOIL filling station at Kwame Nkrumah Circle. Floodwater rose into the station and pushed fuel out. The committee that investigated said a lit cigarette started the fire, and that the flood was the remote cause. More than 150 people died in the flood and fire. Among the committee's recommendations was to dredge and desilt the Odaw.

2019 to now

In May 2019, the World Bank approved US$200 million for flood work in the Odaw basin, including dredging, drains and ponds to hold water. In June 2026, the project's coordinator said the Odaw dredging was about 40% complete.

The causes named over the years have stayed the same: plastic and silt in the drains, and buildings on waterways. The 2015 committee recommended a ban on plastic bags. The dredging deadline now stands at December 2027.