The World Bank has agreed to assist Ghana’s government in responding to the humanitarian catastrophe in the Lower Volta.
The World Bank agreed to assist Ghana with $150 million loan facility to provide support for hundreds of residents who 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, Operations Manager of the World Bank in Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Michelle Keane, said
“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. “The World Bank would want to express its readiness to support the government in its response to this crisis.”
Keane expressed optimism that Ghana’s government will utilize a $150 million loan facility to implement a long-term sustainability strategy to protect coastal communities from flooding.
“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 said.
“We hope that the government and its partners will take full advantage of the $150 million approved by the World Bank for Ghana under the West Africa Coastal Areas Management Programme (WACA). The financing is expected to become available very soon after parliamentary approval,” he said.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
