Ghana Hydrological Authority Sign Agreement With Harris County Flood Control District On Flood Reduction Strategies

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ghana Hydrological Authority and the Harris County Flood Control District, Texas, has been signed.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) emphasizes cooperation in information exchange about flood risk reduction measures and flood resiliency and mitigation tactics.

Following an official visit to Houston by representatives of the Ministry of Works and Housing and Ghana Hydrological Authority (Hydro), the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed.

Among other things, this involved exchanging ideas on flood risk management techniques in Harris County and Ghana.

The delegation, led by Francis Asenso Boakye, the Minister for Works and Housing and Member of Parliament for Bantama, also paid a courtesy call on Mr Sylvester Turner, the Mayor of Houston, at City Hall and met with representatives of the Harris County Housing Authority to discuss, among other things, their model of providing affordable housing.

Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye gave a brief speech at the signing ceremony thanking the Harris County Flood Control District for setting the bar for providing nature-based solutions and remarking that “your approach and technology will be of great assistance to the Ministry and the Ghana Hydrological Authority in our efforts to tackle the perennial flooding challenge in Ghana.”

Dr Tina Williams, the Executive Director of the Harris County Flood Control District signed on behalf of the District. She noted, “I have no doubt this marks the beginning of an exciting journey of collaboration and learning for our respective institutions,” expressing her joy at the opportunity.

Dr. John Kissi, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Hydrological Authority, signed on behalf of the organization and stated that “Ghana’s capital city, Accra, and the Harris County share common flood risk challenges and welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with the HCFCD in the exchange of knowledge related to flood resilience and nature-based solutions.”

The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) was created in 1937 as a special-purpose entity by the Texas Legislature in response to floods that ravaged the Houston region in 1929 and 1936.

Since then, the HCFCD has been working on significant flood mitigation projects to improve Harris County’s flood resilience.

After Ghana’s Parliament approved the Ghana Hydrological Authority Bill 2022 on July 29, 2022, the Hydrological Services Department (HSD), formerly known as the Ghana Hydrological Authority, was created.