The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) in Upper West has met with stakeholders to deliberate on rural water and sanitation sub-sector reform arrangement to sustain water and sanitation facilities towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Agency, organised the forum to inform stakeholders what the new reforms was about, how far it has gone and to elicit innovative ideas to help make the reforms better and workable.

The forum was under the theme: “Reforming Ghana’s rural water sub-sector towards efficient management of wash service to rural communities and small towns”.

Mr Dodji Messan Attiogbe, the Upper West Regional Director of CWSA, said the reform was necessitated to separate operations of the water system from political interference and to reposition it for better improvement.

He said the system was running the policy of community ownership where a facility is being constructed, selected community people trained, and the facility handed over to the community to manage.

“Our determination is to provide rural people with quality water, and move to different directions to improve water coverage and sustainability,” he said.

The Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Mr Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, noted that the success of the reform would largely depend on the commitment to providing relevant hand-holding and backstopping support through the Municipal and District Assemblies.

He underscored how government through CWSA attached importance to the Agency’s operations and management of water system and related matters, saying, there was the need to refocus and direct the dynamisms towards the crucial reforms.

He said in an attempt to lessen the burden of stakeholders, government had to consistently borrow funds to rehabilitate the poorly-managed system and address water safety issues.

It was expected that after CWSA had taken over the management of the water system, it would ensure effective, efficient and sustainable management for safe water to be delivered to consumers at all times.
Mr Chinnia urged the CWSA, MMDA’s and community members to be committed to the reforms and mainstream sustainable delivery of safe water and water related sanitation service for the development of rural Water Sanitation and Hygiene sub-sector.

GNA