The Minister for Works, Housing, and Water Resources, Mr. Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, has inaugurated the Governing Boards of the Water Resources Commission and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency.

The inauguration held on Thursday in Accra signifies that all institutions under the Ministry now have functioning boards, establishing a mandatory framework for effective and efficient operations.

Mr. Adjei urged the Water Resources Commission Board to provide strategic oversight that will enable the Commission to strengthen legal and institutional frameworks.

According to him, this will enhance the management and utilization of water resources, promote effective water resource management among major users, and enhance transboundary water cooperation, particularly with the Volta Basin Authority (VBA) and the country’s riparian neighbors to develop joint water management plans.

He noted that a key legacy for the Ministry, the Board, and the Commission will be the signing of the Volta Basin Water Charter, which aims to promote equitable and sustainable management of water resources in the Volta Basin.

Additionally, the Minister tasked the Community Water and Sanitation Agency Board to collaborate with management to ensure that all new water projects are designed to be financially sustainable, durable, consistently operational, and accessible to all users over an extended period.

“Let service standards, not politics, define your decisions. Let value for money, not expediency, govern your use of resources,” Mr. Adjei emphasised.

He also stated that it is unacceptable that billions of Ghana Cedis worth of infrastructure investments have not yielded sustainable outcomes due to poor system governance, inadequate financing for operations and maintenance (O&M), and the absence of long-term asset management plans.”

Margaret Adjeley Sowah, ISD