World Bank Supports Asafo Sewerage System and Operational Efficiency in Water Supply Services

WASHINGTON, August 8, 2024 - The World Bank today approved $30 million from the International Development Association (IDA) for the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA SWP). This 2^nd additional financing will support the Government of Ghana to address the financial shortfall resulting from increased costs due to inflation.

In the last few years, the Government of Ghana and the Ghana Water Limited (GWL), have been investing in the production and expansion of the water supply networks for urban centers and to improve the water utility's operational efficiency. GWL's low operational efficiency however continues with relatively high levels of non-revenue water. Although there has been a reduction, it remains high at 45 percent as of 2023 and substantially affects its operational efficiency and financial standing.

"This second additional financing will help complete the implementation of the non-revenue water management interventions and help improve the operational efficiency improvementsof GWL in the Greater Accra Metropolitan and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Areas," said Robert Taliercio, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra. "It will help complete the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing Asafo Sewerage Network and provide access to sewerage services to 5,000 households in low-income communities to improved sanitation."

Access to basic sanitation services in Ghana remains low, despite the Government of Ghana's efforts to address the sanitation gap and reducing open defecation. The project's activities are being implemented with the participation of the local governments and project beneficiaries, drawing on local capacity for implementation whenever possible. The interventions under the GAMA SWP have resulted in several specific benefits for women, both in reducing the water collection burden which mainly falls on them and in relieving women and girls from the additional responsibility of attending to the health and hygiene needs of the family in the event of disease occurrence.

"The completion of the simplified gravity-operated network and sewerage treatment plant is expected to reduce Green House Gas emissions, thus can be accounted for climate mitigation," said Harold Esseku Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist and Task Team Leader of the project. "Replacing the aging vacuum trucks that would have been used to transport sludge from septic tanks contribute to mitigating climate change by reducing CO₂ emissions. Additionally, the project embraces a circular economy approach by converting waste to useful products such as briquettes and compost, potentially replacing charcoal and biofuel use within local communities and providing soil conditioner for urban agriculture."