Ugandans To Run Ghana Water Company Ltd

Uganda's National Water & Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has won a $12m (about sh22b) contract to run Ghana Water Company Ltd as part of a three-member consortium, the managing director, Dr William Muhairwe, has said.

Along with Dutch firm Vitens and RandWater of South Africa, NWSC have won a 12-year contract to manage the Ghanaian utility as part of a $120m (about sh220b) World Bank-sponsored project.


The bulk of the money will go towards rehabilitation and extension of water works.


?We signed the contract last week and real operations will begin in April,? Muhairwe said.


?In the consortium, we shall provide the technical experts and short-term consultants,? he said.

NWSC has been through a dramatic turn-around over the last eight years and many continental water suppliers are taking advantage of this expertise.


?We installed a billing system for Nairobi City Council and trained their workers in its use. In Dar es Salaam, we are involved in a rescue programme for the water utility there, while in Zambia, we are helping out at the Nkana Water & Sewerage Corporation in its operations in the copper belt,? Muhairwe said.


Last year, NWSC recorded a turnover of sh43b and operating profit of sh12.4b up from sh37b and sh8.1b respectively the previous years.


Seven years ago, the parastatal was making little or no operating profit and was relying on the Government?s subsidies to finance its operations