By Gifty Amofa, GNA
Accra, Dec.16, GNA – The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) has launched its Silver Jubilee celebration with a call on stakeholders to join hands in repositioning the Agency for sustainable delivery and management of water supply systems.
Dr Freda Prempeh, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, who made the call said the Ministry in collaboration with CWSA and other partners were working on securing funding for two projects that would help supply water to five districts in the Volta Region under the STRABAG Project.
In addition, a proposed sustainable safe water and sanitation improvement project at USD250 million would be implemented in all the 16 regions in the country.
She said this when she launched the anniversary to be celebrated under the theme: “25 years of sustaining WASH services: Transforming rural and small towns water services delivery towards national development”.
She said there was still about 37.92 percent of rural communities with no access to safe water, adding that there was the need to bridge the gap to meet the Sustainable Development Goal Six by 2030.
Dr Prempeh said a memorandum to seek Cabinet’s approval for policy reform towards the amendment of CWSA’s current mandate had been approved, but it had requested for the development of an elaborate policy document for the Agency’s sanitation subsector for consideration.
She said the Ministry and the CWSA were completing same to be presented in the first quarter of 2024.
The Minister said when approved, the mandate of CWSA would move from facilitating the delivery of safe water and sanitation, which promoted community ownership and management of the water facilities, to a public utility organisation, just as Ghana Water Company.
With that, the Agency would directly manage small towns’ pipe systems provided with State funds, support communities and district assemblies to manage their water supply systems, she explained.
She said the decision for the policy reforms was to help deal with the incompetence in the face of increasing technological complexities of rural water supplies, resulting in continuous breakdowns and rehabilitation of existing water supply facilities with funds meant to extend services to unserved areas.
Mr Peter O. Sackey, founding Chief Executive of CWSA, recounting the history of the 25 years of the Agency, said it wa, formerly under the Ghana Water and Sewage (now water company), established under Act 1998 (564) to provide water to rural areas and small towns.
Mr Sackey said the rural water department was raised to a division in 1992.
He said before that, 70 percent of the rural population though the providers of Ghana’s bread basket, lacked social amenities, including water.
Dr Worlanyo Kwadjo Siabi, Chief Executive, CWSA, said between 2017 and 2023, the Agency modernised its operations by investing GHC196million of its internally generated fund for the rehabilitation of 170 water systems, integrated solar energy, and paid outstanding accumulated electricity of community managed systems.
It also developed new computer software to enhance its operations, increased water coverage from 27 percent to 62.61 percent for 1990 to 2022, and created 1,224 permanent jobs, among others.
Among the anniversary celebration events are exhibition and community engagements.
GNA