By Edward Dankwah
Accra, March 20, GNA – Madam Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, the Deputy Minister for Works, Housing, and Water Resources, says there is the need to enhance water quality and safety through improved chlorination and monitoring to drive change in water service delivery in Ghana.
She said chlorination was one of the most reliable methods to kill or inactivate harmful microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and parasites that caused waterborne diseases, hence improved chlorination ensured more efficient disinfection, reducing the risk of outbreaks.
“Continuous monitoring ensures that the water consistently meets safety standards. Fluctuations in water quality can occur due to changes in weather, industrial activities, or infrastructure issues, and monitoring helps address these variations in real time,” she added.
The Minister was speaking at Safe Water Network’s (SWN) 2025 Beyond the Pipe Forum, which was on the theme, “Innovating for Sustainable Safe Water Access,” in Accra.
Madam Tetteh-Agbotui said the theme for this year’s forum was both timely and crucial, as Ghana was at a pivotal moment on the journey for national development.
She said the President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to expand water access for all Ghanaians.
“He pledged to complete ongoing water projects and initiate new ones in both urban and rural areas, to ensure that every Ghanaian, regardless of where they live, enjoy the human right to safe and reliable water,” she added.
The Minister said the Government was fully aligned with this goal, and was actively investing in infrastructure, institutional reforms, and digital innovation to drive progress.
She said however, the Government alone could not solve all the challenges in the water sector, hence partnerships with non-state actors, the private sector, and development partners were not only welcomed but essential.
Madam Tetteh-Agbotui commended the Network for continuing to lead on sustainable water models through its social enterprise approach.
“We are encouraged by your emphasis on financial sustainability, local capacity development, and innovative delivery mechanisms such as solar-power, water ATMs, and direct piped connections fitted with prepaid meters that allow for mobile money payments,” she stressed.
The Minister said this collective effort fostered collaboration, amplified field learnings, and helped address long-standing issues such as service area delineation, asset ownership, and the role of regulation in rural and small-town water delivery.
She reaffirmed the Government’s support for innovation and professionalisation in the water sector, and the Ministry’s readiness to collaborate with all actors.
“Together, we must continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in-service delivery. Let’s move from pilot to scale, from innovation to institutionalisation, and from fragmentation to coordination,” she added.
Mr. Charles Nimako, Ghana Country Director, Safe Water Network (SWN), said over the past years, the Network had expanded its operational footprint to reach an additional 55,000 people in 10 communities across Ghana, and cumulatively reached 504,000 people in 158 communities.
The Ghana Country Director said together with their fellow implementers in the Safe Water Enterprise Alliance, they were now reaching more than two million Ghanaians with safe, affordable water.
He said the Network would continue to build on the progress made, strengthen the technical and financial resilience of their model, equip local operators and field support teams, and align with government priorities as articulated by the President.
“Together, we can build a future where every Ghanaian has access to safely managed water services, every day, in every community,” he added.
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