The Water Research Institute (WRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is advocating for collaboration among relevant state institutions to improve water governance and enforce regulations.
This appeal was made at a seminar organized by the WRI, themed “Ghana’s Water Security: Rethinking the Value of Water.”
In an interview with Citi News, Ben Ampomah, the former Executive Secretary of the Water Resource Commission, stressed the importance of effective collaboration among state institutions.
He highlighted the need for collective efforts to ensure the proper enforcement and adherence to laws and practices governing safe water.
Mr. Ampomah emphasized the significance of building bridges among institutions to address shared issues, stating, “Working in silos is not much of a problem because it would happen, but we need to build bridges.”
Addressing concerns about data and information sharing, Mr. Ampomah emphasized the importance of evidence-based decision-making and quality data.
He pointed out a gap between available data and information for policy decisions, especially in science information and data.
Prof. Mike Osei-Atwenebona, Director of the WRI, noted the impact of the seminars with relevant stakeholders participating in discussions.
He urged the implementation of proposed inputs from seminar speakers and called on the government, stakeholders, and individuals to prioritize water security and reconsider prevailing approaches to valuing water.