The World Bank has vowed to assist Ghana’s government in its response to the humanitarian catastrophe in the Lower Volta, where thousands of inhabitants have lost their homes, farms, and businesses due to floods caused by the Volta River Authority’s leakage of the Akosombo Dam.
Speaking at the 3rd Conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment in Accra, Michelle Keane, Operations Manager of the World Bank in Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, expressed the World Bank’s sympathy to affected victims while indicating her organization’s readiness to assist government efforts.
“We can’t speak about flooding today without conveying the World Bank’s sincere empathy and concern for the ten thousand of people who have been impacted by the recent floods along the Volta River,” she said in a statement. “The World Bank would want to express its readiness to support the government in its response to this crisis.”
Keane also expressed hope that the Ghanaian government will use a $150 million credit facility to help protect coastal towns from floods with a long-term sustainability strategy.
“In the longer term, developing a sustainability and risk management strategy for the Volta River and Volta Delta among other areas will be crucial to determine where it is safe for people to live and how their livelihoods can be sustained and grow along the Volta River supported by a healthy ecosystem,” she went on to say.
“We hope that the government and its partners will fully utilise the World Bank’s $150 million approved for Ghana under the West Africa Coastal Areas Management Programme (WACA). Financing will be available very soon after parliamentary approval,” Keane noted.
