Ben Asante, CEO of Ghana Gas
Water is essential for life, which is why Ghana National Gas Company has made it a priority that most communities, cities, towns, and villages across the country are part of Ghana and that need to be provided with clean and safe drinking water.
Improving water access brings a sense of dignity to people, children, adults, individuals, and families and reduces the number of waterborne illnesses in our country.
In spite of the progress that has been made to ensure that children, adult, people, and families in every part of the country have access to safe and quality drinking water in our communities, villages, and cities, sanitation in our various communities have major challenges affecting basic rural sanitation delivery which includes lack of planning and coordination of programs aimed at improving sanitation. This is due to limited staffing in the various institutions and limited resources for capacity building and implementation of programmes.
As at 2015, only one rural household out of ten were using improved household toilets while three in every ten of them practiced open defecation and not a single district in Ghana has achieved an open defecation-free status.
Accra and other parts of the country still face a similar situations. There is no clear urban basic sanitation strategy and plan in Ghana. Various approaches and interventions in urban basic sanitation are not effectively coordinated and monitored.
The systems ought to work and Ghana’s systems are not working as it should. I remember the famous saying from the former president of the United States Obama when he visited Ghana. Upon delivering his speech in Parliament, he said Ghanaians should allow the systems to work which will go a long way to improve the communities, cities, towns and villages.
Unlike rural communities, social mobilization for sanitation and hygiene promotion in urban settlements is quite complicated due to its cosmopolitan and multi-cultural nature.
However, sanitation is a social and public good whereby every citizen needs to participate in discussions and decisions that will benefit everybody. U.N. Water estimates that worldwide 2.2 billion people are living without access to safe water. One in four primary schools has no drinking water service in our communities.
U.N. Water notes that more than 700 children under age 5 die every day from diarrheal disease linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation in Ghana’s communities, villages, towns, and cities.
Ghana Gas is giving to communities and needy cities, towns, and villages without looking back. This falls under the Ghana Gas Company’s social corporate responsibilities (CSRs). This will go a long way to helping and supporting people, especially those living in needy communities across the country.
These projects are being implemented by Community Water and Sanitation Agency in partnership with the respective Municipal and District Assemblies, sponsored by Ghana National Gas Company. Projects upon projects under the auspices of the board and the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ben KD Asante, is giving the attention with the intention of completing for use to benefit all Ghanaians.
One of the regions with the most difficult water problem is the north but things have changed drastically with new pipe-borne water and boreholes constructed by the Gas Company. Water, as the saying goes, is life and everybody needs water to survive in this life of the living. It behooves on government itself, individuals, corporate institutions and other philanthropists to ensure every person in Ghana gets access to clean and quality drinking water.
The question most Ghanaians normally ask is, why do some people have more clean and quality water than others? Does Ghana belong to some special people in the regions? Are other spectators and other citizens? The country cannot grow if others have such concerns and are given some special treatment over others. Ghana is a free country and the people are decent who deserve clean and quality drinking water no matter where one resides or lives.
Ghana President His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated that Ghanaians should claim citizenship and not spectatorship in our own land, which means that, water should be provided to all regions, communities, areas, cities, towns and all corners of this country since all Ghanaians deserve clean and quality drinking water.
Ghana National Gas Company is passionate about helping everyone to get clean and quality drinking water no matter where one may be, regardless of your location or region. Ghana Gas company in collaboration with Community Water and Sanitation Agency is giving communities the opportunity to get clean and quality drinking water.
The Gas company is sponsoring the construction of pipe-borne water, a borehole with a pump station, pump supply and installation, and construction of reinforced concrete at the various communities just to ensure clean and safe drinking water are provided to the people living in such communities.
In the Central Region, communities such as Obohen Odumase, with a population about 2,794, are now benefiting from Ghana Gas’s contribution to providing quality drinking water. At Assin Amoakrom community, with a population of about 1,351, such a growing community is now benefiting from the Gas company’s social corporate responsibility.
In a small village like Obawale, the water system there is a problem due to the fact that there is too much iron in the land and contractors are finding it difficult to drill the water. Pupuni community, also a small community close to Volta River Authority (VRA) with community people dying in search of a clean water, now have benefited from Ghana Gas’s social responsibility.
At Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, the community has a growing population of 737,275. In Abowinum-Badukrom, a pipe water extension water project has been done by the Gas company. Okuadze, Enyan Bedakrom Ajumako, and Tsenkorang community are all beneficiaries of the Gas company’s social responsibility. Otsenkorang community now drink clean and safe drinking water and a population of 3,450 have praised the Gas company for the quick intervention to save them from water salvation.
In Addo Nkwanta, with a population of 2,304, water projects are completed and awaiting commissioning from Community Water Sanitation and Agency and financiers Ghana National Gas Company. All these projects are cost-effective, durable, long span with quality, and accessible for all Ghanaians which is the priority of Dr. Ben Asante, the board and management of the Gas Company.
In Northern Region, precisely in the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Mangul Kukuo has seen the construction of a toilet facility at Fooshiehu. At Tolon, the Gas company has constructed toilet facilities to serve the community,
In the Savannah Region, the West and Central Gonja districts have also seen the construction of 21 hand pump boreholes for the people to have a clean and safe drinking water.
In the Oti Region, Nkwanta North and South district communities have seen the drilling of 16 boreholes by the Gas company to benefit from.
In Upper East, Builsa South District has enjoyed the drilling of boreholes for the community. Tempane District has seen the drilling of boreholes, Bawku Municipal Assembly continues to enjoy the drilling of boreholes to serve the communities whiles Kassena Nankana District has also benefited from the drilling of boreholes to ease the water shortage saga, not forgetting Bawku West District where 10 hand pump boreholes have been constructed.
Sunyani East, in the Bono Region, has seen the Gas company construct 7 mechanized boreholes.
Construction of 10-seater toilet at Techiman North is completed for use by the communities while Offuman traditional area has benefited from the construction of 14 boreholes in selected communities. This construction of boreholes have reduced their search for water in a long while.
For Western Region, Ellembelle has seen 10 boreholes constructed by the Gas company. Toilet facility at Nkroful Agricultural SHS has eased the school’s burden thanks to the Gas company.
In the Volta Region, specifically Botoku, the community has benefited from the Gas company with a 10-seater construction of boreholes to serve the residents within and around.
In Ahafo’s Tano South, toilet facilities for the communities have been completed for use.
Ghana National Gas Company is still giving back to society a clean drinking and quality water.