The Tema Metropolitan Assembly and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) have formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the City of Aarhus and Aarhus Vand, a reputable water utility company.
This MoU marks the initiation of Phase Two of the Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC) on Urban Water in Tema, focusing on addressing critical issues related to water losses, particularly Non-Revenue Water (NRW), and enhancing the climate resilience of Tema.
On February 3, 2021, the Government of Denmark, UNICEF, and The Ministry of Water and Sanitation jointly launched a substantial COVID-19 response project amounting to USD 5.6 million. This MoU signing, involving the Mayor of Tema, the Managing Director of Ghana Water Company Limited, and the Chief Executive Officer of Aarhus Vand, sets the stage for the second phase of SSC, spanning from 2024 to 2026. The primary goal of this phase is to scale up the successful activities and lessons learned in Tema to other parts of Ghana.
Mayor of Aarhus, Jacob Bundsgaard, states: “The world faces critical water distribution and management challenges. Aarhus leads globally in sustainable and innovative water technology solutions. Collaborating with public and private stakeholders in Ghana’s water sector, we aim to create world-class water solutions, enhancing the lives of Tema and Ghana’s citizens.”
Ambassador of Denmark to Ghana, Tom Norring, commends the progress made through the SSC in Urban Water, highlighting the positive impact on the Ghanaian water sector. He expresses eagerness to advance this unique cooperation to the next level.
His Excellency Tom Nørring, the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, elaborates on the longstanding collaboration between Aarhus, Aarhus Vand, Tema Metropolitan Assembly, and Ghana Water Company Ltd. in the SSC on Urban Water since 2019. Denmark’s extensive involvement in Ghana’s water sector, spanning decades, has significantly contributed to addressing challenges related to stable water delivery, non-revenue water, and wastewater management.
Denmark actively engages in the water sector through partnerships, aiming to bolster commercial collaboration between Denmark and Ghana to achieve SDG#6 – Clean Water and Sanitation.
He underscores Denmark’s commitment to playing a leading role in global water and sanitation efforts, emphasizing the country’s successful mitigation of water losses within its own systems. He compares Denmark’s minimal loss of about 8% to the prevalent losses of 50% or more in many African regions, including Ghana, stressing the importance of efficient water management.
Ing. Dr. Clifford A. Braimah, the Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (G.W.C.L), expresses satisfaction with the progress of the phase one project. Technology integration into operations has been a significant learning experience, particularly in addressing the long-standing issue of non-revenue water.
At the MoU signing ceremony, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Freda Prempeh, emphasizes the ongoing Strategic Sector Cooperation on Urban Water between the City of Aarhus, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, and the Ghana Water Company Limited, initiated in 2019. The main objective is to substantially reduce non-revenue water in Tema from the existing 45% to levels closer to Aarhus’ impressive 7% non-revenue water sustained for over a decade.
She praises the laudable project, foreseeing enhanced safe water delivery to low-income communities and industrial sites in the eastern part of Greater Accra, including Tema. The project has already demonstrated positive results, providing clean drinking water access to over 70,000 people in low-income, high-density urban communities in Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi regions. Moreover, it has facilitated the provision of wash infrastructure, hygiene, infection prevention control supplies to selected schools, health facilities, and public spaces in these regions.