The World Bank has approved $30 million from the International Development Association (IDA) for the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA SWP). This second additional financing aims to assist the Government of Ghana in addressing financial shortfalls caused by inflation.
In recent years, the Government of Ghana and Ghana Water Limited (GWL) have been investing in expanding water supply networks for urban centers and improving operational efficiency. Despite these efforts, GWL continues to face challenges with high levels of non-revenue water, which stood at 45 percent as of 2023.
“This second additional financing will help complete the implementation of the non-revenue water management interventions and help improve the operational efficiency improvements of GWL in the Greater Accra Metropolitan and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Areas,” said Robert Taliercio, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. “It will help complete the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing Asafo Sewerage Network and provide access to sewerage services to 5,000 households in low-income communities to improved sanitation.”
Access to basic sanitation services remains low in Ghana despite governmental efforts. The project involves local governments and beneficiaries in its activities, leveraging local capacity whenever possible. Interventions under GAMA SWP have yielded specific benefits for women by reducing their burden of water collection and health-related responsibilities within families.
“The completion of the simplified gravity-operated network and sewerage treatment plant is expected to reduce Green House Gas emissions, thus can be accounted for climate mitigation,” said Harold Esseku, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist and Task Team Leader. “Replacing aging vacuum trucks used for transporting sludge from septic tanks contributes to mitigating climate change by reducing CO2 emissions. Additionally, the project adopts a circular economy approach by converting waste into useful products such as briquettes and compost.”