A report by an investigative media house, Fourth Estate, has rubbished the Finance Minister’s claim that government has made significant progress in some water projects initiated in 2020 in the Northern parts of Ghana.
The Finance Minister, Dr. Amin Adam, while reading the 2024 budget in Parliament, indicated that Water Supply Projects in Wenchi, Sekondi-Takoradi, Keta, Yendi, Tamale, Damongo, Sunyani, and Techiman are at various stages of completion.
“The following are at various stages of completion: Wenchi Water Supply Project, Sekondi-Takoradi Water Supply Project, Keta Water Supply project, Yendi Water Supply Project, Tamale Water Supply, Damango Water Supply, Sunyani Water Supply and Techiman Water Supply Project,” he added.
However in its later expose, Fourth Estate has revealed that residents in these areas are still grappling with severe water shortages despite the launch of the water supply project.
A mother of four from Tamale, Ayisha Danlaadi, shared with The Fourth Estate how the persistent water crisis has affected her family. She often has to travel four kilometers to a neighboring village just to collect water.
This daily struggle has forced her children to either arrive late to school or miss classes entirely.
Ayisha who reflected on the unfulfilled promises that once brought hope stated that “the situation became critical and we travelled to the next village which is about four kilometres away for water”.
“If anyone had told them in 2020 that four years down the line, they’d be so desperate for water to have to dig deep into the earth for it, the people of Changnaayili would have laughed it off: 2020 was a year of hope, optimism and a lot of promises.”
Accessing water; a basic necessity remains a daunting task in these areas, comparable to the difficulty of mining rare minerals. Despite promises of new water infrastructure, the situation on the ground has barely improved.
The little water they manage to gather after long journeys is usually dirty and muddy, requiring them to resort to makeshift purification methods.
Another resident of Tamale, Hamza Mohammed, explained that he uses potassium alum to treat the water he collects from a nearby village.
Facing unrelenting water scarcity, the residents of Changnaayili, near Tamale, decided to take matters into their own hands.
They dug a massive pit, the size of a football field and around 10 meters deep, until they reached the water table. Although the water they extracted is still muddy, it’s better than having none at all.
This water now serves as their main source for drinking, cooking, and bathing.
In 2020, President Akufo-Addo visited these areas to launch water projects, promising significant benefits for the local communities.
The $223 million Tamale water project was expected to produce 29.7 million gallons per day, effectively tripling the city’s current water supply. Yet, four years later, the project has yet to deliver any water.
In Yendi, the water supply project, funded by a $30 million loan from the India Exim Bank, was meant to provide 15,000 cubic meters of water daily.
The President assured the people of Yendi that this would mark the beginning of extensive infrastructure development. However, the project has not commenced.
“This will be, by far, the biggest water project in the five northern regions, and the second biggest in the history of our country,” he announced during the sod-cutting ceremony on July 29, 2020, in Tamale.
Similarly, in Damongo, a $49 million water project was promised, with the President stating it would serve 68,000 residents.
Spokesperson for the Chief of Damongo, Alhaji Abu Mahama Salange, voiced his frustration, noting that despite repeated promises, the project remains unstarted.
Yendi residents continue to rely on boreholes for drinking water, but seasonal changes and the effects of climate change—such as droughts and unpredictable rainfall—have worsened the water situation, threatening the community’s access to safe water.
This delay in progress also jeopardizes Ghana’s efforts to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of providing universal access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030.
Secretary to the Overlord of Dagbon, Alhaji Abdul-Raman Mohammed, disclosed that numerous follow-ups with the government have yielded no results, leaving Yendi’s water needs unmet.
In the meantime, Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in October 2023, launched a World Bank-funded initiative aimed at providing essential infrastructure, including water, to northern regions. Despite these announcements, tangible progress on water projects remains elusive.
The Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Dr. Clifford Braimah, attributed the delays to debt restructuring, which discouraged banks from releasing funds for the water projects in Tamale, Yendi, and Damongo.
As a result, these projects were stalled, as banks hesitated to provide loans under uncertain financial conditions.
In July 2024, Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam inaccurately reported to Parliament that these water projects were at various stages of completion, sparking widespread frustration and demands for greater transparency from the government.
While the GWCL is working on temporary solutions, such as borehole construction and treatment plants, residents of Changnaayili and other northern communities are still waiting for the clean water government promised.