Ghana needs $225m to build water, sanitation facilities to meet MDG target
The Ghana Government needs 225 million dollars annually to construct sustainable water and sanitation facilities to be able to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of persons without access to potable water and sanitation facilities by 2015.
In this direction, the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing is currently working through the Community Water and Sanitation Agency and the Ghana Water Company Limited to ensure the targets are achieved.
Mr Collins Dauda, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, announced this on Wednesday at the ongoing 2013 Water Africa and West Africa Building, Construction, Exhibition and Seminar being organized in Accra.
The two-day event is to showcase products and services in the water, wastewater and environmental protection sectors and to discuss ways of improving sanitation challenges and the built environment.
It is being organized by ACE Event Management UK with sponsorship by Interplast, Nesstra Ghana Limited and CFAO Equipment.
Mr Dauda said, “Whilst the MDG target…translates into a national coverage of 75 per cent for water and 56 per cent for sanitation, Ghana has set itself a much higher figure of 85 per cent for both.”
He said the national coverage for water in 2010 was 64 per cent while the sanitation coverage was 15 per cent.
Mr Dauda said his Ministry would conclude the National Housing Policy to make it more realistic to the needs of the low income group.
He added that the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing was committed towards completing the 4,720 affordable housing units, which are currently under construction in Accra, Kumasi, Koforidua, Tamale and Wa.
He called for more investment in the housing sector, adding that Government had ‘attractive incentive packages’ for prospective investors.
Mr Dauda also expressed optimism that participants at the event would propose solutions to effectively address challenges in the water, sanitation and construction sectors.
At the exhibition tour, management of Nesstra Ghana Limited, a company that deals in equipment that filter and sterilize water to remove germs, heavy metals and particles without the use of chemicals, demonstrated how the technology worked.
Mr Dauda, who witnessed the demonstration of the technology, expressed the hope that key players operating in the water and construction sectors would patronize the event and transact mutually beneficial businesses.
There are more than 70 international and Ghanaian companies participating in the event.
Source: GNA