The National Disaster Management Organisation issued an urgent flood alert at 7:30 a.m. GMT on June 29, warning residents and motorists to avoid low-lying communities and flood-prone areas. It advised the public not to drive or walk through floodwaters and urged people in affected areas to move to higher ground.

Interior Minister Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka appealed for public cooperation and urged residents to remain indoors where it was safe to do so.

“We are expecting heavier rains before midday. We are therefore pleading with everyone to stay where they are if it is safe to do so,” he said.

Emergency teams, including personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces and the police, have been deployed for rescue operations in various locations. The country's main power distributors, Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), also temporarily shut down power substations in select areas to reduce electrical risks. At the same time, the Ghana School of Law postponed examinations scheduled for Monday.

A city that floods almost every year

For many residents, the latest flooding is not an isolated disaster but part of a pattern that has persisted for over a decade.

Accra has experienced repeated major floods in 2010, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026, with the same communities, including Kaneshie, Odawna, Adabraka, Alajo, Weija, Circle and parts of the Odaw River basin, regularly among the worst affected.

The city's most devastating disaster occurred on June 3, 2015, when torrential rain flooded much of Accra before fuel floating on floodwaters ignited at a GOIL filling station near Kwame Nkrumah Circle. The combined flood and explosion killed more than 200 people , making it one of Ghana's deadliest peacetime disasters.

According to national flood records covering 1935 to 2023, Ghana has recorded more than 3,000 flood-related deaths and over 700,000 people displaced, with Accra accounting for many of the country's most destructive urban flood events.

In 2023 alone, researchers identified around 20 separate flooding incidents, while a storm in May 2025 killed four people and displaced more than 3,000 residents.

A recent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)  Ghana analysis described Accra’s floods as a familiar crisis, noting that homes, businesses and transport systems were again affected after heavy rainfall in early June 2026.

Why Accra keeps flooding

Urban planners say heavy rainfall alone does not explain the severity of flooding.

Researchers have consistently identified a combination of rapid urbanisation, construction on wetlands and floodplains, inadequate drainage infrastructure, blocked waterways caused by waste disposal and weak enforcement of planning regulations as the main drivers of Accra's flood risk.

The President of the Ghana Institution of Engineers has criticised the country’s long-term approach to urban planning, saying, “We have done things the wrong way for over 30–40 years.”

Rapid population growth has also transformed natural floodplains into densely populated neighbourhoods, while large areas of permeable land have been replaced by concrete, increasing surface runoff during storms.

Climate experts say heavier rainfall associated with climate change is further increasing the frequency and intensity of flooding across coastal West African cities, including Accra.

Economic costs

Accra is Ghana's commercial centre and the Greater Accra Region generates more than 40% of the country's non-oil GDP, meaning repeated flooding disrupts national supply chains, transportation and commerce.

Small businesses are among the hardest hit, with floods regularly destroying inventory, damaging equipment and forcing temporary closures.

The World Bank committed US$150 million in additional financing under the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project to improve flood management, drainage systems and solid waste management for more than 2.5 million people living within the Odaw River Basin.

However, UNDP has argued that infrastructure alone will not solve the problem. It has supported work on a Greater Accra flood contingency plan and parametric flood insurance model designed to provide faster payouts after severe flooding, especially for vulnerable households in low-income and informal settlements.

Public frustration grows

Residents say the repeated nature of the crisis has deepened public frustration.

“We are reliving the same story every rainy season… when it rains like this, we know trouble is coming,” one resident said.

The Ghana Meteorological Agency has forecast continued rainfall across southern Ghana, including coastal areas, while authorities have urged residents to report emergencies through the national emergency number 112.

ArtReview’s Power 100 is an annual ranking that identifies the individuals considered most influential in shaping the contemporary art world. Compiled by the UK-based magazine ArtReview, the list reflects impact across artistic practice, institutions, markets and cultural debate, rather than commercial success alone.

Images from Accra show sacks filled with coloured rocks and stones, labourers assembling large textile installations, and visitors moving through museum spaces where Mahama’s work is on display. His work is best known for monumental textile-based pieces made from repurposed jute sacks and industrial materials, which frequently address themes of labour, history and exploitation.

Mahama has argued that producing ideas from Africa inevitably shapes how those ideas resonate globally. He noted that while artists and students have traditionally looked towards the West for knowledge, the conditions on the continent also generate forms of understanding that cannot be created elsewhere.

The art ist said his decision to base his practice in Tamale was deliberate. Using a metaphor, he compared art to sugar that attracts ants wherever it is placed, explaining that building his studio there was less about location and more about contribution, learning and long-term engagement.

At 38, Mahama climbed from 14th place in the 2024 ranking to the top position this year. Over the past decade, his large-scale installations have brought him international attention, positioning his work at the centre of discussions about labour, responsibility, memory and the social implications of artistic production.

This trend shows how intensifying human activity is putting ever greater pressure on Earth’s water and land systems. But what’s driving this growth, and what does it mean for our future?

Several forces are pushing freshwater demand upward. Agriculture continues to be the heaviest water user globally. As food production expands to feed growing populations, more irrigation, fertilisers, and water-intensive crops are deployed.

Industry, too, plays a big role. Manufacturing, energy production, and processing all require water—not just for cooling and rinsing, but as a direct input into many industrial processes.

Urbanisation adds another layer of demand. As cities grow, water is needed not only for households, but for infrastructure , landscaping, public services, and sanitation.

Meanwhile, climate change adds uncertainty. Erratic rainfall, shifting weather patterns, and warming trends affect how much water is available, when, and where.

According to Our World in Data , global freshwater withdrawals have climbed sharply since the mid-20th century, though growth has begun to slow in some regions. Still, pressures remain high, especially in countries with limited renewable water resources.

A recent paper in MDPI highlights that shifts in water use efficiency, technological adoption, and policy interventions will be crucial for balancing demand with sustainability.

The UN World Water Development Report 2024 also emphasises water’s role not just in agriculture and industry, but in peace, stability, and equitable development. It argues that water, when managed fairly, can support social cohesion, but mismanagement can fuel conflicts.

These global dynamics don’t exist in a vacuum. In many parts of the world, water scarcity is already a driver of migration, social stress, and geopolitical tension. In the Horn of Africa, for example, prolonged droughts have contributed to displacement and competition over shared river systems.

Meanwhile, the push for green technology has implications for water use. Solar panel manufacturing, battery production, and data centres all demand water, sometimes in unexpected amounts.

In parts of Africa, researchers have begun estimating water consumption tied to computing infrastructure, underscoring how even digital growth is connected to natural resources.

The decisive goal came from Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mohammed Kudus, whose strike ensured Ghana’s place in the tournament and marked the country's fifth World Cup appearance since its debut in 2006.

Ghana topped Group I in the African qualifiers with 25 points, finishing six points ahead of Madagascar. The Black Stars now join Algeria, Egypt , Morocco, and Tunisia as the African nations already qualified for the 2026 edition.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be the first to feature 48 teams, is set to be jointly hosted by the United States , Canada, and Mexico.