Ghana Water Forum Committee holds inaugural meeting

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE

The national committee constituted for this year’s Ghana Water Forum (GWF), has held its inaugural meeting in Accra, to plan the upcoming national forum tentatively fixed for September 2012.

The committee comprises over 25 representatives of water sector stakeholders, departments, agencies and organisations, who have been put in three major sub-committees - technical, publicity, sponsorship and procurement, formed for effective planning and execution of the annual forum.

Some of the organisations and agencies represented at the maiden meeting apart from the Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing as well as the Water Directorate, were Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Ghana Urban Water Limited (GUWL), Ghana Watsan Journalists Network (GWJN) and Water Resources Institute (WRI).

Others were Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA) formerly known as CREPA, World Vision International (WVI), Water Resources Commission (WRC) and International Resource Centre (RCN).

Deliberations during the inaugural meeting focused on a theme for the 4^th in the series of the water fora which began in 2009, review of recommendations for the upcoming forum, responsibilities of the sub-committees, date, venue, sponsorship and budget among others.

In a short interview after the inaugural meeting, Chairman for the Committee, Mr. Harold Clottey, Deputy Director, Water Directorate, Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, explained that the water forum is a forum where stakeholders in the water sector come to share ideas and formulate new ideas as to how to tackle issues concerning water supply and improve the delivery of water.

He said one of the areas the meeting deliberated on, was the issue of financing for the country’s water sector, which has seriously affected water delivery and supply.

“We are getting down to the real problem; that of sustainable financing that will make a real impact,” Mr. Clottey disclosed when asked how the upcoming forum will be different from the first three that have already been organised in the country over the past three years.

Expatiating on the reason for the new direction, he said; “The previous fora have concentrated on problems and problems and problems – now this is the time for us to act, we are going to address the issue.”

The next meeting of the committee will be held in the first week of March 2012.