Turkey, Ghana meet to finalise deal over $164.9m water expansion projects
Mr Enoch Teye-Mensah, Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing on Friday said the time had come for Ghana to place the right premium on water production in the country.
He said governments after government since independence have never taken into consideration the supply of water to its people over the years, and it was important to start adopting proper ways of producing water.
Mr Teye-Mensah made this observation when a Turkish delegation paid a courtesy call on him in Accra, to finalize procedures on the Akwatia, Akim Oda and Winneba water supply expansion project, expected to commence by the end of October and end after 36 months.
The Turkish funded project, worth $164,935,602.55, upon completion would improve water supply to the communities – total capacity would be increase, level of reliability water enhanced, and a setting up of local processing industries in the supply areas as well as tourism sites which will translate into job creation.
He said the Akim Oda Water Supply System Rehabilitation and expansion project will serve communities like Akim Asene, Akim Manso, Atiankama Nkwanta, Aboabo and Batabi, where as the Akwetia Project will serve Bawdua, Topreman, Bamanase, G.C.D Camp, Asubone, Camp, No. 4 Anwaeso, and Mmofrafaadwen.
“Mpata, Gyahadze, Okyreko, Nsuekyir Esonpanyin, Pomadze, Ansaful, Bewadze, Gomoa, Mampong, Dagor, Mamkoadze, Mpopa, Mprumem, Nkroful, Onyadze, Otsew, Simbrofo, Ankamn, and Apam communities will also benefit from the Winneba water supply system rehabilitation and network expansion project”, the Minister stated.
He said in Akwetia the existing water treatment plant had been out of operation for the past ten years, and now only few individual have boreholes in their homes which serves only a small proportion of the town, whereas the water supply system in Winneba had very little transmission and distribution networks thereby causing the plant to operate most of the time under capacity.
He expressed appreciation to the Export Credit Bank of Turkish for supporting the project, saying Turkey was an emerging economy and has expertise to help improve the water supply system of the country.
Mr Aydin Nurhan, Turkish Ambassador to Ghana commended Ghana for the bilateral relationship between the two nations pledge that projects will be complete within the time scheduled to alleviate the plight of the communities.
He said this was the first project in the water sector that the country was supporting, but hope to divert in the future to support the country in the construction of roads.
Source: GNA