“We Didn’t Sleep” — Muntaka Defends Government’s Response to Accra Floods

Interior Minister Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka has defended the government’s response to Monday’s devastating floods in Accra, stressing that senior officials, including President John Dramani Mahama, worked throughout the night to coordinate rescue efforts.

Responding to criticism over the handling of the disaster, Muntaka insisted that both he and the President remained actively engaged as emergency teams worked to save lives in affected communities.

“I can bet you we didn’t sleep. I didn’t sleep, and I knew the time I had to speak to the President early in the morning. I woke him up, and he’s been up asking questions almost throughout. He went around to see,” he said.

The heavy downpour triggered severe flooding across several parts of Accra, including Alajo, Adabraka, Circle, Kaneshie, Weija, Tse Addo and Spintex, leaving homes and businesses submerged, displacing residents and claiming several lives.

Rescue operations were carried out by personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service, who assisted stranded residents, including children, the elderly and motorists trapped by rising floodwaters.

While acknowledging that more could be done to improve disaster preparedness, Muntaka rejected suggestions that government officials had neglected the crisis.

“I agree we could do more, but let’s not make it look like all politicians are not thinking about the country. People are not thinking about the country; they are just thinking about themselves and their positions they are not proactive,” he said.

The Interior Minister also extended his condolences to families who lost loved ones and property during the floods.

“So yes, we are really very sorry for the loss of life. We are sorry that this thing has really devastated Accra,” he stated.

According to Muntaka, the combination of unusually heavy rainfall and years of building on waterways and wetlands contributed significantly to the scale of the flooding.

“But believe me, the only way this rain today could have been avoided from going into people’s homes would have been to dredge the whole of Accra because you can see it from the aerial view,” he said.

He further blamed indiscriminate development on waterways for weakening Accra’s drainage system despite repeated directives to local authorities.

“Yet our human activities, building on waterways, we’ve been tasking the district assemblies,” he added.

His remarks echo President Mahama’s renewed call for long-term measures to tackle Accra’s perennial flooding, including clearing structures from waterways, restoring wetlands and investing in improved drainage infrastructure. Government has also pledged to release contingency funds to support relief efforts as assessments of the damage continue.

By: Paulina Armah/ Radio1.