Socio-economic consequences of recurrent flooding and household coping strategies in the Kasena-Nankana municipality of Ghana

Recurrent flooding threatens housing, health and agrarian livelihoods in northern Ghana, yet household-level evidence from smaller flood-prone municipalities remains limited. This study examined the socio-economic consequences of recurrent flooding and the coping strategies reported by affected households in the Kasena-Nankana Municipality. A convergent cross-sectional mixed-methods design combined a survey of 363 respondents in 14 purposively selected flood-affected communities with seven key informant interviews and 14 focus group discussions. Survey data were analysed descriptively, with Pearson’s chi-square tests, Cramér’s V and binary logistic regression; qualitative data were analysed thematically and integrated during interpretation. Housing collapse was reported by 99.45% of this affected-household sample, household illness during floods by 81.82%, crop damage by 54.82%, foodstuff loss by 60.33%, and damage to the main water source by 42.42%. The most frequently reported responses were selling assets (95.87%), temporary migration (93.94%) and seeking NADMO support (80.17%). Respondents reported a median of six of 11 observed strategies; 55.10% reported at least six. In the prespecified complete-case model ( n = 358), higher strategy breadth was associated with Kassena (AOR = 5.10, 95% CI 2.68–9.69) and Nankane (AOR = 2.48, 95% CI 1.30–4.70) ethnicity relative to Builsa, Muslim religion relative to traditional religion (AOR = 5.32, 95% CI 1.33–21.34), and public-service employment relative to farming (AOR = 3.76, 95% CI 1.14–12.46); wide confidence intervals and threshold sensitivity require caution. The count measures breadth, not the effectiveness of coping or resilience. Recurrent flooding was experienced as a linked housing, health, food and livelihood shock. Locally targeted early warning, water and sanitation protection, resilient housing and post-flood livelihood recovery are warranted.