Regional body initiates sustainable water delivery project
The African Regional Centre for Water Sanitation (CREPA) in collaboration with the government has initiated a two-year Sustainable Water Service Delivery (SWSD) Project towards achieving sustainability of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene delivery in Ghana.
The project funded by Conrad N. Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, has been designed to assess the functionality and impact of all water points that were implemented by World Vision International in the Afram Plains region.
The study would focus in eight municipalities and districts that fall within the Afram Plains, which cut across Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo and Eastern regions.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of a four-day SWSD Methodology workshop in Accra, Ms Destina Samani, Team Leader of CREPA Ghana, said the project would help develop a comprehensive sustainability framework that would enhance the continuation of existing projects and provide guidance for future water projects.
She said the experiences from the project would be used to feed the sector to generate new concepts.
Ms Samani explained that the outcome of the study would inform the development sustainable service delivery models for scaling up within and without other parts of Ghana.
She said an inclusive approach would be adopted throughout the entire project process.
It will start by assessing and evaluating the various existing institutional frameworks of the water sector, adopting inclusive approach at all levels of implementation and advocating the use of evidence from water point mapping and field interviews.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Communication, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, said government was committed to partnering with civil society and development agencies to mobilise resources for sustainable water service delivery for urban, peri-urban and rural communities.
He said sustainable water delivery was anchored on many perimeters of which project functionality and beneficiary assessment were essential.
The Minister explained that inadequate funding remained a major problem militating against the delivery of safe, adequate and good quality of water.
Mr Idrissa Doucoure, Chief Executive of CREPA, said CREPA’s interest in the project formed part of its daily concerns in providing equitable access to sanitation and water through “bottom-up” knowledge development that led to community ownership of services.
CREPA is an interstate African institution working exclusively in the area of sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene service delivery.
It was established in 1989 in Burkina Faso and has operated in 17 Francophone countries and now moving into Anglophone countries.
Source: GNA