President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday commissioned Phase Three of the Five Districts Water Supply Project at Adaklu in the Volta Region.
The project, which in September 2020, was financed by a concessionary facility from Raiffeisen Bank International AG of Austria, at €11.5 million will benefit some 89,150 people in 95 communities in Central Tongu, Adaklu and Agotime-Ziope.
President Akufo-Addo, speaking at the Commissioning ceremony at Adaklu, said some of the key components of the project are the construction of three concrete tanks at Adaklu Kpeleho, Adaklu Sofa and Adaklu Kpatove, to help keep the water safe from any bacteria.
Others include the completion of a water booster station at Adaklu Kpeleho to transport water to Adaklu and Agotime-Ziope communities and the laying of 175 kilometres of water pipelines.
With designs for Phase IV of the project ongoing, the President said the focus of the government is to ensure that all regions across the country are provided with adequate, safe, affordable and reliable water services.
“We are also committed to ensuring that we practice safe sanitation and hygiene by the year 2030, in line with the attainment of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he stated.
The government’s strategic goal, he indicated, is to use a multi-faceted approach, with emphasis on governance and sector institutional strengthening, to accelerate access to equitable WASH services throughout Ghana.
President Akufo-Addo maintained that his government has made significant progress towards providing clean and potable water and sanitation for all.
He cited the commissioning in September 2020 of completed projects under the Water Supply Improvement Project of the Ghana-Spain Debt Swap Development, implemented by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) at US$3.78 million, for a beneficiary population of 75,000.
That project seeks to expand access to and ensure sustainable services in the 36 rural and small towns/communities in the Ho, Ho West, Agotime-Ziope and South Dayi Districts of which outstanding works are expected to be completed by March next year.
President Akufo-Addo on 30th June 2020, commissioned Cluster Water Systems at Bontrase and Amasamkrom in the Central Region, which also symbolised the completion of similar water projects in 11 out of the 16 regions of the country, financed from a US$47.5 million credit facility from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank.
The other beneficiary regions, included Bono, Bono East, Western, Western North, Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper West and Upper East, as part of the Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation Project (SRWSP).
The project components included the construction of piped water supply systems, support for the construction of household latrines, health and hygiene education and environmental and social safeguards for 164 beneficiary communities, with a total population of 154,826.
Under the Rural Communities and Small Towns Water Supply Project (RCSTWSP), the government is improving access to sustainable water delivery in the Volta, Oti, Greater Accra, Ashanti and Eastern Regions to benefit a total population of some 282,000.
With the “Water for All” Agenda in urban communities, President Akufo-Addo explained that the Keta Water Supply Project, being implemented by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources through the Ghana Water Company Limited, would improve, the reliability of water supply to some 422,160 persons in Keta and surrounding communities, at €85,112,854.
Works under this Project, he indicated, are expected to be completed by December 2024.
Additionally, the Wenchi Water Project, being constructed at €39 million involves the construction of a new water treatment facility and the rehabilitation of the existing groundwater system to meet current and future water requirements of the community until 2045.
“The project is expected to serve some 101,870 people living within Wenchi and its environs,” he said.
On the Sekondi-Takoradi Water Supply Project, which would cost some €70 million and serve a beneficiary population of some 1.4 million within Sekondi-Takoradi communities, President Akufo-Addo stated that the project is expected to be completed by September 2025.
“The feasibility studies for the proposed Sogakope-Lome Transboundary Water Supply Project are ninety-eight per cent (98%) complete, and funding would be sought to achieve sustainable improvement to access to drinking water for four million consumers in the Project area. In Ghana, the Project beneficiaries will include the Southern Volta area, specifically the Municipal/Districts of Keta, Ketu South, Ketu North, South Tongu and Akatsi South,” he added.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD