By Edward Dankwah, GNA
Accra, March 18, GNA – Mr. Charles Nimako, Ghana Country Director, Safe Water Network, says Ghana has a strong opportunity to position itself as a leader in the delivery of sustainable and scalable water services through decentralized systems.
He said beyond expanding access to safe water, the country could demonstrate how decentralised water services could be effectively scaled in a manner that was sustainable, well-coordinated and attractive to investment.
The Country Director was speaking at the 2026 Global Beyond the Pipe Forum under the theme, “From Ideas to Pilots: Preparing Safe Water Enterprises for Investment.”
It brought together leaders from government, the private sector, development partners, and the broader water ecosystem towards a shared commitment to advancing sustainable access to safe water in Ghana.
Mr. Nimako said Safe Water Network had been at the forefront of this shift by promoting decentralized, enterprise-led models capable of delivering reliable water services atscale.
He said the organisation’s water stations was currently providing safe water access to more than 650,000 people, including nearly 18,000 customers connected through piped systems, serving homes, schools, healthcare facilities, and businesses nationwide.
Mr Nimako said the sector had evolved significantly through collaboration among implementers and partners, particularly under the Safe Water Enterprises Alliance, leading to the emergence of a stronger ecosystem of safe water enterprises.
He explained that the industry was transitioning from innovation-driven approaches to practical implementation, with an increasing focus on preparing enterprises for investment and large-scale operations.
“We are seeing a clear shift from innovation to practical application. The lessons emerging from these pilots are helping us better understand what it takes to run efficient, reliable water services, and what is needed to prepare these enterprises for investment,” he said.
He noted that scaling water services required more than infrastructure development, stressing the need for coordinated systems, data-driven decision-making, and alignment among public private, and community stakeholders.
The Country Director said creating a predictable and enabling environment for service providers would be critical to attracting the investment needed to expand access to safe water.
He expressed appreciation to partners and stakeholders for their contributions to the progress made so far, emphasisingthat sustained collaboration would be key to achieving long-term impact in the water sector.
Mr. Chris Williams, Chief Executive Officer, Safe Water Network, called for greater innovation and sustainable financing models to strengthen water service delivery in Ghana and beyond.
He said lessons from Ghana and India were being leveraged to expand operations into other parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, with both countries influencing each other’s approaches to water service delivery.
Mr Williams noted that while Ghana was advancing innovations in household connections and piped water systems, India was making strides in technology, including automated chlorination and real-time water quality monitoring.
He stressed the growing need to move beyond donor funding, warning that declining global development assistance required a shift towards more sustainable, revenue-driven models.
The CEO emphasized that access to financing would depend on efficient operations and strong revenue systems, adding that operations and maintenance remained a major gap in the sector globally.
Mr Williams also called on the government to accelerate the implementation of existing policies through pilot initiatives that bring together public and private sector players to scale solutions effectively.
GNA