Government has received an approval from Parliament to borrow €36,000,000.00 to finance the implementation of the Rural Communities and Small Towns Water Supply Project.
This followed the adoption of report of The Finance Committee on the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF) Facility Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and HSBC Bank Plc (Facility Agent and Arranger) for an amount of Thirty-One Million, Five Hundred Thousand Euros (€31,500,000.00) to finance the implementation of the Rural Communities and Small Towns Water Supply Project, and Loan Facility Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (represented by the Ministry of Finance) and HSBC Bank plc (as Facility Agent and Arranger) for an amount of Four Million, Five Hundred Thousand Euros (€4,500,000.00) to finance the implementation of the Rural Communities and Small Towns Water Supply Project”.
The Finance Committee Chairman Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah in his report said, the purpose of the project is to support the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR) and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to install and maintain point and piped water systems in rural communities and small towns, “in line with the new policy direction of CWSA and the ‘Water for all’ Agenda of Government of Ghana”.
According to Dr. Mark Assibey-Yeboah, “the Committee has carefully considered the Agreements and found that the successful lmplementahon of the Project for which the funds are being borrowed wouId help to significantly Improve the health and socaal status of the people in the beneficiary communities in particular and Ghana as a whole.
Background:
The Ministry of Sanitation and Water resources (MSWR) and the Community Water & Sanitation Agency (CWSA) in conjunction with a UK private sector entity, Aqua Africa Limited (AA) have been working together on a market-based approach to provide sustainable safe drinking water to the rural communities and small towns in four Regions in Ghana.
This solution reflects the policy direction of the Ministry and fails in iine with the strategic direction of CWSA in the provision of safe water to rurai communities and small towns.
MSWR and CWSA are embarking on the strategy to enhance the delivery of WASH facilities to about 38% of the unserved rural population towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
The concept of this transformation is to consider innovative technology and financing methods to generate revenue to take care of maintenance and future expansion programmes and improve mechanisms to hoid all actors to their roles and responsibilities in the WASH sector.
Aqua Africa will work in partnership with CWSA to provide water system to Rural Communities and Small Towns and secure revenue from water sales using smart metering or cashless payment system.
This project will use advance nano-technology filtration or other technologies (as appropriate) to treat unsafe water sources, as well as providing salar-powered mechanism.
Story by Edzorna Francis Mensah
