A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for practical solutions in addressing challenges affecting delivery of safe water to the public through technology was on Thursday signed between the government and SEDA Farminc Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the SEDA Africa Group, a Czech Republic based entity.
Specifically, the agreement was to enhance resource mobilisation and financing to address infrastructure gaps in the water sector, training of engineers, hydro geologists, and project managers in modern water technologies and to ensure the development and modernisation of groundwater mapping and monitoring systems.
It was signed by the Minister of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Mr Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SEDA Africa Group, Mr Martin Habart.
In a brief remark, Mr Adjei said the signing of the MoU was a bold
step towards achieving the country’s national water security agenda, which aims at ensuring sustainable water and basic sanitation for all.
Additionally, he noted that the agreement aligned to the country’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 6, which focused on clean water and sanitation.
According to Mr Adjei, the development and modernisation of groundwater mapping and monitoring systems would help address the issue of poorly mapped, over exploitation, and under exploitation of groundwater across the country.
The poor mapping, over exploitation, and under exploitation of groundwater water, Mr Adjei stressed, created an unsustainable situation that threatened the long-term viability of water sources, especially in drought prone and climate stressed zones.
“Through this partnership, we aim to undertake a more scientific and comprehensive mapping of groundwater aquifers, establish robust data systems for monitoring groundwater quality and yield, and enhance the technical capacity of our local hydro geologists and engineers,” he added.
Furthermore, Mr Adjei said that his ministry under the signed MoU with SEDA Farminc Ghana Limited would explore avenues for blended financing that included concessional loans, donor support, climate funds, and private capital mobilisation.
For his part, Mr Habart indicated that agreement with the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources was a continuation of an already existing partnership between the two entities that had led to the establishment of a number of projects in the country.
This, he stated, included the commencement of the testing phase for a small-scale water treatment plant unit in Kade two years ago.
Mr Habart also mentioned that his outfit would establish a technical task force team to support the operations of the ministry and key agencies such as the Ghana Water Company Limited.
He explained that exploration and mapping would last for a year and would begin from the northern part of the country.
The mapping and exploration of groundwater, Mr Habart emphasised, was supported by the UNICEF and other organisations.
Moreover, he said that SEDA Africa Group would ensure that its operations in the country were based on trust, integrity, and positive impact.
Present at the signing of the MoU was the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ghana, Mr Pavel Bílek, the Chief Director and Directors of the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, and representatives of the SEDA Farminc Ghana Limited.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
