By Erica Apeatua Addo, GNA
Akoon, (W/R), Dec. 4, GNA-Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, the Project Coordinator of Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF), has charged the Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) committees in Tarkwa and Damang to work diligently in the coming year.
According to her, New Atuabo, one of its host communities, has made the Foundation proud by recording several success stories from the small-town water system provided for them some years ago.
Madam Mohammed stated this at the fourth quarter WATSAN review meeting held in Akoon and encouraged the other communities to work hard and support community development.
She said in 2025, some activities carried out were monitoring, review meetings, mechanics and refresher trainings, stressing that, communities like Amoanda and Koduakrom were doing extremely well.
“Some have managed to expand the water system to other areas. Others have sunk boreholes to augment what they already had”.
“We went for monitoring to assess their water and sanitation, and gave them medications to encourage proper hygiene practices”, she explained
On challenges, the project coordinator said some communities felt the water was supplied by the Mine, so it was free, but that was not so because the system needed to be maintained.
She said the community was to ensure the water system was maintained, extended to other parts of the community and sustained for the future.
Mr. Michael Kojo Johnson, the WATSAN Head of Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipal Assembly, said the communities gave accounts of what had been done this year, presented their achievements, and proposed ideas for next year.
He indicated that the aim was to motivate communities that were not doing well to utilize the resources given and advised the committee members to be transparent in their activities and render regular accounts to the communities.
Mr. Kwabena Dramani, Environmental Analysts in Prestea Huni-Valley Municipal Assembly, stated that development was a collective effort, and that the government could not cater for the needs of every community.
He applauded Gold Fields for helping Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipal Assemblies with multiple initiatives.
Mr. Dramani called on Ghanaians to change their mindset on littering, adding, “The waste we generate in our communities, no foreigner will come and collect it for us. When you drink sachet or bottled water, keep the packaging and dispose them when you get home.”
Mr. Afriyie Siaw, the WATSAN Committee Chairman for Koduakrom, noted that Gold Fields provided water for them, and after the project had been handed over to the community, a committee was set up, and they agreed that each person who fetched water in a month would pay GH¢10.00.
He said a total amount of GH¢ 10,500 was collected by the committee at the so far this year.
Mr. Siaw said, through this fund, they had fixed a pump on a borehole, purchased a storage tank and extended water to some parts of the community.
He observed that their objective for 2026 was to have water supplied to every home, fix another borehole pump, and acquire a larger poly tank to ensure residents have access to more water and reduce the need for them to travel long distances in search of water.
GNA
Edited by Justina Paaga/Christian Akorlie