Professor Isaac Boateng, a coastal engineering and climate adaptation specialist at the University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (USTED), has called on Ghanaian research funders to back studies focused on sustainable drainage systems tailored to the country’s local conditions. At a recent workshop on teaching Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in Ghanaian TVET and higher education institutions, he warned against adopting foreign drainage designs without considering Ghana’s unique environment.
“I therefore appeal to the Ghana Research Fund to consider investing in sustainable drainage system research in Ghana,” Prof. Boateng said. He also urged the British Council to provide additional funding to address challenges identified during the project.
The workshop, held this month, addressed flooding and stormwater management challenges in Ghanaian urban areas. Prof. Boateng pointed to rapid urbanisation, changing rainfall patterns, expanding impermeable surfaces, blocked drains, and encroachment on waterways as factors exacerbating flooding. “Rather than treating stormwater as waste, we must manage it as a resource,” he said.
SuDS approaches include rain gardens, permeable pavements, vegetated swales, green roofs, and rainwater harvesting. These methods can slow runoff, support infiltration and storage, and improve water quality. Prof. Boateng stressed that such solutions should complement conventional drainage systems and be selected based on local site conditions.
He cautioned against simply copying international designs. “Successful knowledge transfer does not mean copying designs without considering local realities,” he said, citing Ghana’s rainfall patterns, soil conditions, available materials, land constraints, maintenance capacity, and financial circumstances. He argued that locally generated evidence would guide engineering practice and public policy better than imported models.
The professor also called for ongoing field monitoring, student research, and interdisciplinary collaboration. “A drainage system is not successful simply because it has been constructed. It must continue to function effectively throughout its service life,” he said. He stressed the importance of inspection, maintenance, performance monitoring, and managing long-term costs. “The drains we design today will influence the safety of our communities tomorrow. The skills we teach today will shape the infrastructure of the next generation.”
Dr Cletus Moobela, Associate Professor of Real Estate at Edinburgh Napier University and project lead, said the initiative aims to adapt international knowledge and solutions to Ghana’s context. “Our aim is to take solutions developed and applied globally and adapt them to the Ghanaian context,” he said. “We recognise that not every solution will be suitable for Ghana.”
He explained the project focuses on education and curriculum development rather than installing drainage systems at specific sites. The team works with instructors and educational institutions to introduce SuDS into teaching. “Our focus is on the institutions responsible for educating and training future professionals,” Dr Moobela said.
The project will monitor whether instructors integrate SuDS into their curricula, collect feedback from students, and assess how widely educational institutions adopt these approaches. Graduates entering Ghana’s built environment sectors will be expected to apply what they learn in their professional careers.
Afia Yeboah Agyeman, Higher Education Project Manager at the British Council in Ghana, thanked Edinburgh Napier University and USTED for collaborating on the project. “I want to say thank you to Edinburgh Napier and USTED for coming together on such an important project,” she said.
She described drainage problems as a major concern in Ghana and expressed hope the project will have a positive impact. Afia said the British Council aims to attract more partnerships and funding to expand the initiative across other higher education institutions. The goal is to embed SuDS in curricula and provide capacity building for educators.
“Moving forward, [we hope to] draw more partnerships, more funds to support this project on a larger scale across other higher education institutions and embed SuDS in the curriculum, [with] capacity building of teachers,” she said.
The British Council’s work includes facilitating transnational education partnerships between Ghanaian institutions and UK universities. Last year, the Council facilitated five such partnerships, enabling institutions to share expertise and explore collaboration. A policy to guide transnational education collaboration is currently under development.
The workshop’s emphasis on adapting solutions to local conditions reflects a growing awareness in Ghana that imported infrastructure models cannot be applied wholesale. The project’s focus on education aims to equip a new generation of professionals with the knowledge to build drainage systems that endure and respond to Ghana’s specific challenges.
According to Joy Online.
