'It's a curse on you' – Water Minister badmouths 'malware' workers sabotaging Ghana Water

Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Ahmed Ibrahim

The Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Ahmed Ibrahim, has cautioned management and staff of Ghana Water Limited (GWL) against politicising the company's operations or engaging in acts that could undermine its performance.

He urged workers to remain focused on GWL's core responsibility of providing safe and clean water to Ghanaians, stressing that sabotaging the company could ultimately have consequences for the workers themselves.

Mr Ibrahim made the remarks during a working visit to the company's headquarters on Tuesday, October 20, where he expressed confidence in GWL's ability to improve its performance.

He called on management and staff to take their responsibilities seriously and work collectively to strengthen the company.

“If you’re working in a water company and you sabotage it, it’s a curse on you. We collapsed the Cocoa Board, and there was redundancy. We collapsed most of the public operations, and there was redundancy. So sabotaging Ghana Water is like sitting on a tree and cutting the branch of the tree,” he said.

“It will fall down with you. Let’s have that mindset and work with that mentality. If we work hard, Ghana Water will be good. Ghana will be good and you as well; let’s think as Ghanaians, and bring back the nationalism and patriotism of the old,” he added.

The minister also challenged GWL management over the company's non-revenue water (NRW), rejecting an explanation that the June 29 floods were responsible for the increase in NRW to 47 per cent as of June 2026.

Non-revenue water refers to water produced by a utility but lost before reaching paying customers, including through leakages, theft and inaccuracies in metering.

Mr Ibrahim tasked management to reduce NRW to 40 per cent or below by the end of December 2026.

“If you can come to 40% by the end of December in non-revenue water, I will be happy,” he said.