Ghana signs water agreement with Danish Agency

BY JOEL EVANS OWUSU

Ghana today signed two water aid agreements with the Danish and Canadian governments in Accra.

The Danish assistance of 384.8 million Danish Kroner (?133 billion cedis) is to cover the first phase of a five-year Sector Programme Support (SPS) in the Greater Accra and Eastern regions, while Canada is providing water supply systems to seven northern rural communities through a 16.4 million Canadian dollar grant. Ghana is supporting Canada's grant with two million dollars.

The Danish grant, to be administered by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) will cover three main areas, namely; rural water and sanitation, sector capacity building, and water resources. The project is under DANIDA's SPS long term framework of 10 to15 years, and it is hoped to be successfully implemented with the establishment of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), who's Bill is to presented to parliament soon.

Mr. I.K. Adjei Mensah, Minister for Works and Housing who signed for Ghana, said the government recognises the support that DANIDA is giving to Ghana.

He said DANIDA's water and sanitation initiative in the Volta Region has become a model and a show-piece in the area of community ownership of water and sanitation systems.

He said his ministry is aware of DANIDA's support and involvement for the newly established Water Resource Commission and the Water Resources Management Study Programme.

Mr. Adjei-Mensah said, government has taken measures to ensure that 80% of the entire population have access to potable water and adequate sanitation facilities by the year 2010.

Earlier, Mr. Adjei-Mensah had signed the 26 billion cedi agreement with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Areas to benefit from this agreement are Nanumba, Saboba- Chereponi, East Manprusi, West Mamprusi, Zabzugu-Tatali, Gushiegu-Karaga and Yendi. GRi