GWP, Gov’t Launches Water, Climate Project

By Patrick Baidoo

The continuous process of ensuring that every Ghanaian has access to portable water and securing water bodies for the future while at the same time mitigating the effects of climate change have led to the launch of the Water, Climate and Development (WACDEP) Project in Africa.

WACDEP was created to support the integration of water security and climate change adaptation into development planning processes coupled with the design of financing and investment strategies for that sector.

The project in Ghana will be implemented over a 3-year period and will be financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Department for International Development (DFID), The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and other donors.

In that vein, WACDEP was introduced at the July edition of the knowledge sharing and learning meeting of the Resource Center Network [RCN] in Accra, recently to stakeholders by the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the government of Ghana as part of the strategies to push the country’s development forward.

The occasion which brought stakeholders in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene [WASH] sector, Government and the media was on the theme: Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP) for water security and sustainable national development.

Launching the WACDEP, Sector Minister for Water Resource, Works and Housing, Hon. Alhaji Collins Dauda, underscored the importance of water in the socio-economic development of every nation.

He welcomed the Project adding that if well implanted, it will ensure sustainable water, food as well as an adequate environment.

Water he said is required to promote good health, sanitation, creation, transportation among others and therefore the importance of the Project cannot be overemphasised.

The Minister pointed out that in Ghana's effort to tackle climate change, Government has adopted a policy of integrating water management to ensure that the environment is not compromised. Furthermore sectorial and national policy initiatives aimed at reducing climate change has been adopted.

Government and its partners over the years have invested a lot of resources for awareness creation on the negative impact of climate change and the need for proper measures to be adopted.

In a speech read on his behalf by the Director for Water at the Ministry, Mr. Fredrick Addai, he promises that they will continue as Government together with their partners to create awareness on climate change and its subsequent consequences.

Government is chalking some successes in its efforts to ensure every household in Ghana has access to portable drinking water and to this end he mentioned that the rural/urban water project is on course although he admitted certain challenges bedevilling it.

He expressed Government appreciation to its Development Partners for their efforts in assisting to strengthen and build capacities of local institutions to help integrate water in national processes.

On his part, Mr. Nii Boi Ayibontele of the GWP-Ghana Country Partnership explained that the project has the objective to assist to enhance technical and institutional capacity and predictable financing and investments in water security and climate change adaptation for economic growth and human security.

The Ghana Country Water Partnership with the assistance of the Global and the West African Regional Partnerships will implement the project whiles the national Project Steering Committee comprising representatives of the MOFEP, NDPC, WRC, MOFA, EPA, FC and Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development will manage it.

The project will be used to strengthen the CWP-Ghana in the areas of engaging stakeholders, strengthening the network, fund raising and monitoring and evaluation.