$150m neede annually to meet MDG Water Target

Accra, May 10, GNA - Ghana will require an annual injection of 150 million dollars investment in the water sector in the next 10 years to be able to meet the target of access to water set under the Millennium Development Goals.

Mr Minta Aboagye, Director of Water at the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, said the task of delivering on the goal was so huge and needed coordination of resources from different stakeholders. "We need to explore all avenues such as budgetary allocation from our own government, loans and grants from development partners and a slice of the pledges made by the developed economies to assist developing countries, especially Africa in attaining the goal."

Mr Aboagye was speaking in an interview with journalists shortly after the opening of an international conference on Local Millennium Development Goals Initiative being hosted by WaterAid, an International development non-governmental organisation based in London. The conference will provide insight on the critical role that local governments needed to play in achieving the MDG targets for water and sanitation. Participants are from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Mauritania.

Touching on water supply in the urban centres, Mr Aboagye said the uncontrolled nature of development and increasing growth in population in the urban centres, especially Accra was a major challenge facing water delivery in the capital.

He said the expansion of water supply to areas, which currently did not have access, must go hand in hand with a boost in the supply base. Mr Aboagye urged the participants to come to terms with how to sensitise the government agencies, departments, among others on the challenges posed to the attainment of the goals.

Ms Aissa Sarr, Country Representative of WaterAid, said the overall goal of the initiative launched in 2004 was to localise the MDGs by emphasising the leadership role of local governments in capacity development.

It also aimed to provide local authorities the competencies and means to spearhead expected change processes towards access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation to facilitate programme design, implementation, management and sustainability from the most basic or decentralised units/level.

She said local authorities combined efforts with other stakeholders would culminate in the preparation and marketing of Water and sanitation plans to meet finance gaps.

WaterAid plans to invest about 25 million dollars in the next five years to provide 5.7 million people with water. 10 May 06