Volta basin Authority meets to strengthen institutional capacity

December 11, 2009
Accra, Dec. 11, GNA - Members of the Technical Experts Committee (TEC) for the Volta Basin Authority (VBA) on Friday organised a meeting to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Authority.

The VBA, which is made up of six African countries including Ghana, was established in 2006 to promote the implementation of integrated water resources management, poverty alleviation and sustainable development of the parties involved in the Volta basin.

It was also established to promote permanent consultation tools among the parties for the development of the basin and for better socio-economic integration in the sub-region.

Speaking at the opening session of the Fourth TEC meeting in Accra, Mr Alhaji Saani Iddi, a Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, said the promotion of regional and global integration to develop optimum utilisation and management of water resources was critical for national development.

He said that VBA could fulfil its mandated role if it was adequately resourced adding that "it is important to fashion out innovative programmes and plans that will elicit the needed support and draw in the required participation of all key national and regional stakeholders".

Mr Iddi expressed the hope that the meeting would provide the platform for the members to provide valuable inputs to guide the Ministerial Council in its decisions.

The other five member countries are Mali, Togo, Burkina Faso, Benin and Cote d'Ivoire.

GNA