Accra, Oct. 19, GNA - A two- day water forum to create a platform for stakeholders in the water and sanitation sub-sector in Ghana, to review and analyse the National Water Policy and new Environmental Sanitation Policy has opened in Accra.

The second Ghana water forum is on the theme: The role of Children and the Youth in Sanitation and water service delivery in Ghana: The Sustainability factor."

The meeting will also take stock of the status of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Ghana, review the key achievements and challenges and propose strategies and actions for accelerating the achievement of the water and sanitation targets.

Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said the forum will provide opportunity for stakeholders to provide, manage and sustain water and sanitation facilities to improve on service delivery in the country.

"Government is conscious of the role that the private sector especially the business community, NGOs (non-governmental organisations), religious bodies, and many others can play in partnering government to provide for water and sanitation facilities, and in ensuring their sustainable management," he noted.

To ensure sustainability of water facilities, Mr Yieleh Chireh announced that his Ministry and the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing have initiated the development of a sector strategic development plan to be completed by the end of next year.

He said the document will provide a long term development plan of the water sector, up to the end of 2030.

"It will provide the blueprint for programmes harmonisation, ownership, capacity building, monitoring and evaluation=85 thereby entrenching the concept of sustainability in service delivery at all level," he added.