By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, July 31, GNA – Mr Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, the Minister Works, Housing and Water Resources has inaugurated the Board of Directors of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to enhance rural water supply and sustainability.
The Board members were drawn from the Ghana Water Limited, Safe Water Network, CWSA, the Ministry and Private Legal Practitioners.
They are Alhaji Mahamadu Attah Nantogmah, Mr Vincent Senam Kuagbenu, Mr Issifu Seidu Kudus Gbeadese, Akwettey Sampson, Ms Alberta Siaw Kwarko, Mr Mark Owusu, Nene Tetteh Wakah III, Mrs Regina Atsutse and James Monney.
After nearly three decades of implementation of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency’s mandate, the Minister said significant structural deficiencies had become evident.
He explained that although community engagement remained fundamental to democratic water governance, practical experience indicated that many community-managed water systems had deteriorated.
The decline was primarily attributable to insufficient technical expertise, challenges in revenue collection, inadequate maintenance protocols and limited regulatory oversight.
The Minister said recent water, sanitation and hygiene sector diagnostic assessment to ascertain the state of water supply in rural areas indicated that approximately 35 per cent of rural water systems nationwide were either non-functional or only partially operational.
In certain districts, the percentage exceeded 45 per cent, highlighting the critical need for institutional reform and the professionalisation of service delivery in the rural water sector.
Additionally, he said of the more than 30,000 boreholes in Ghana, a substantial number were non-functional due to limited maintenance, insufficient access to spare parts and a lack of systematic oversight.
In many cases, post-construction management roles within communities were not clearly defined and local water committees often operated without formal training or technical assistance.
Mr Adjei said ensuring the sustainability of rural water supply services was not an option, but a necessity.
“It is unacceptable that billions of Ghana Cedis worth of infrastructural investments have not yielded sustainable outcomes due to poor system governance, inadequate financing for operations and maintenance and the absence of long-term asset management plans,” he said.
He asked that the Board worked with the management of CWSA to ensure that all new water projects were designed with sustainability embedded in both engineering and financial planning.
“Additionally, regular system audits must become standard practice across all regions and operational areas,” he noted.
Mr Adjei said no reform or innovation, no matter how brilliant, would succeed without adequate and sustainable financing.
He, therefore, encouraged the Board to proactively identify and secure the necessary resources to strengthen the operations of CWSA, while pursuing public-private partnerships, climate adaptation funds and blended finance mechanisms to undertake new projects.
The Minister also asked them to offer strategic guidance, ensure comprehensive risk management, foster innovation and protect the public interest.
He pledged the Ministry’s unwavering support to work together with them to allocate resources effectively, coordinate efforts among various ministries and ensure access to technical expertise and funding.
Alhaji Mahamadu Attah Nantogmah, the Chairperson of the Board, expressed gratitude to President John Mahama for the appointment, and pledged to work with government’s structure and ensure they went by the rules laid down in their mandate.
He said they would also corporate with stakeholders to deal with challenges in rural water supply.
“We know there are problems with rural water supply especially on collection and auditing but we assure you that we won’t relent on our efforts to deliver positive results,” he said.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba