Ghana, Togo Agree To Revive Joint Water Project

Mr Zakari Nandja, Togolese Minister of Sanitation and Rural Water (Left) and Mr E.T. Mensah, Ghana's Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, signing the agreement in Accra,

Mr Zakari Nandja, Togolese Minister of Sanitation and Rural Water (Left) and Mr E.T. Mensah, Ghana's Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, signing the agreement in Accra, Ghana and Togo have agreed to implement the Sogakope-Lome Transboundary Water Supply Project, for the supply of water from the River Volta in Ghana to Lome in the Republic of Togo.The pumping point would be Sogakope in Ghana.

This marks the rebirth of the project which has been on the drawing board since the1970s. About 17 communities along the Volta Lake in Ghana would benefit from the project.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has indicated its interest in financing both the project preparation and implementation phases, which entail the update of the feasibility report, environmental and social impact assessment report and the preparation of the Build Own Transfer (BOT) tender document.

An agreement to give effect to the project was reached Thursday when Ghana’s Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr E.T. Mensah, signed on behalf of the Government of Ghana, while the Togolese Minister of Sanitation and Rural Water, Mr Zakari Nandja, initialled for the Togolese Government.

The two ministers, after the signing ceremony, lauded the long-lasting relationship between their countries and pledged to further deepen the relations for the benefit of the citizenry.

For Mr Mensah, it was a project that had brought into fruition the political will and commitment of both countries to integrate their respective economies.

“It also presents another opportunity for us to further integrate our economies and overall, improve the general health status, hygiene of our population, thereby improving the living standards of the people within the project area in Ghana and Togo,” Mr Mensah added.

He recalled that the project began with a feasibility study by the Water Division of the then Architectural and Engineering Services Corporation, now Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL). The objective was to tap the benefits of the Volta River for the two countries.

Mr Mensah said a joint technical team from the Ghana Water Company Limited had prepared joint requests for grant funding from the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) funds facility of the AfDB.

He expressed the hope that the consultants who would be selected to craft documents for the successful implementation of the project would do a diligent job to ensure its timely completion.

It is envisaged that the project would take two years to build once funding is secured.

His Togolese counterpart, Mr Nandji, expressed delight at the project. He also expressed the belief that when implemented, it would enhance the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals of the two countries.