The Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing Hon. Albert Abongo has stated that his ministry together with other sister Ministries and Development partners have adopted the Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) as a mechanism for achieving desirable goals in the sector to filter through to include the energy and agriculture sector and thereby strengthen the linkages between water and these sectors for economic growth and sustainability.
Abongo also stressed the need to strategise on the utilisation of the Volta River between Ghana and Burkina Faso for their mutual benefit and socio-economic development.
He explained that this would constitute a strategy for reaching consensus on wide ranging issues towards better planning and execution of programmes in the water and sanitation sector.
He said this at the 1st Ghana Water Forum organized in Accra, under the theme “Accelerating Water Security for Ghana’s Socio-Economic Development”.
Mr Abongo said the effects of climate change through droughts and floods had impacted negatively on Ghana’s hydro-power generation, water supply and irrigation dams.
Mr Abongo said the problem of increasing population, rapid urbanisation, uncontrolled developments, springing up of slums, increased development of solid and liquid waste devoid of adequate disposal mechanisms were negative factors that threatened the nation’s water resources.
He expressed the hope that after the forum, the water and sanitation sector would have a clearer and more purposeful vision to form the basis of the country’s water and sanitation agenda.
Vice President John Dramani Mahama, in a speech read for him by Mr. Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, affirmed government’s commitment to expand the water and sanitation sector.
He said water security was a priority to government because it was key to poverty reduction and the attainment of the eighth agenda set in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Vice President Mahama called for private sector partnership in water and sanitation to accelerate Ghana’s achievement in water and sanitation towards socio-economic development.
The 3-day forum, which ran from October 20 to 22, 2009, aimed to give substance to the declarations made at high level conferences including the Tunis Ministerial Declaration on Accelerating Water Security for Africa’s Socio-economic development, the eThekwini Declaration on Ministerial Conference on Water and Agriculture and Energy in Africa.
These declarations confirmed the Sharm El Shiekh Commitments made by the AU Heads of States for accelerating the achievements of the Water and Sanitation Goals in Africa issued in July 2008.
The Ghana Water Forum was a forerunner to the African Water Week, and the ultimate reporting of country actions to the AU Summits.
The Ghana Water Forum, included three important side events: Ministerial and Development Partners Roundtable Conference, the Business Roundtable on Water, and the Children and Youth Forum.
Source: Thomasia Kimura-Nunoo, ISD / Ghana Government, Oct 2009 ; Accra Daily Mail / allAfrica.com, 21 Oct 2009
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