Nana Addo commissions €37.6m water supply project in Upper East Region

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday August 5, 2022, commissioned the €37.6 million Upper East Water Supply Project, as part of his Upper East Tour.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “The water supply system in the Upper East region for the people of Bolgatanga, Navrongo, Baga and their suburbs will provide twenty thousand five hundred (20,500) cubic meters of water per day, nearly four and a half million gallons (4.5 million) of water per day, increasing Three times the 1.5 million gallons per day originally available for the territory.”

It should be noted that in January 2018, the Government, through the Ministry of Finance (MoF), secured funding of up to €37,683,266, consisting of a €12,341,308 grant from the Dutch Government, and a €25 million facility from ING Bank, also from the Netherlands, to implement a water supply project in the Upper East Region.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, in conjunction with the contractor, DENYS NV, organized the project in two phases, with the aim of increasing the design horizon from 2030 to 2040, to provide sufficient allocations for future demand in line with our policy to build water projects taking into account growth population in the future.

“Apart from Bolgatanga, Navrongo and Paga, the project is also set to benefit communities such as Zwarungu, Zarre, Sumbrungu, Kalbeo, Gambibigo, Winkogo, Bongo, Yorogo, Pungu and Akomkongu. Three hundred and forty-seven thousand four hundred will be supplied to the project,” the president said. Forty-six people in total with safe drinking water.”

He told the crowd that the implementation and completion of the Upper East Water Supply Project is in line with the government’s program to achieve the goal set under the sixth goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water. Sanitation for all.

President Akufo-Addo reiterated the government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment, by providing social infrastructure, that will attract businesses to communities.

“Accordingly, I anticipate that with the availability of drinking water in this area, investors will take advantage of key government programs, such as ‘One District, One Factory’, to create small and medium-sized enterprises to create youth employment opportunities to stimulate the growth and development of the local economy.”

He told the gathering that the government is working hard to provide funds to improve the water supply situation in other parts of the country, with the aim of ensuring equality and improving the quality of life for all communities in the country.

It is worth mentioning that works have commenced on the Keita Water Supply Expansion Project in the Volta Region, the Wenshi Water Supply Project in the Puno District, and the Sewage and Water Project in the Greater Kumasi District in the Ashanti Region. Works will commence, by the end of the year, on the Sekondi-Takoradi Water Supply Extension Project in the Western District, the Tamale and Yinde Water Supply Project, both in the Northern District, and the Damongo Water Supply Project in the Savannah District,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo also revealed that operations have begun to develop the second phase of the Kepong Water Supply Expansion Project, which will increase the water supply to the residents of Greater Accra.

“Fanteakwa-Begoro Water Supply Project in Eastern District, Tarkwa Water Supply Project in Western District, Techiman Water Supply Project in Eastern Bono District, Assin Fosu Water Supply Project in Central District, Northwest District Water Supply Project, Hohwe Water Supply Project in The Volta Region, and the Kumasi Water Supply Project in the Ashanti Region are all in the pipeline to help respond to the increasing demand for water.”

He urged residents of the beneficiary communities in the Upper East region to help maintain the water infrastructure, “so that we can continue to have access to drinking water and, through this, ensure the general well-being and health of all the communities involved.”

President Akufo-Addo thanked the Government of the Netherlands for the significant financial support of the project, through ORIO funding, and also acknowledged the significant contribution that this project will make to the delivery of urban water supply to the population of the Upper East region.