Ghana and Togo have renewed their commitment to implement a project to
harvest water from the Volta River and export it from Sogakope to Lome.
Known as the Sogakope–Lome Trans-boundary Water Supply Project, the
initiative has been on the drawing board since 1970 but lack of funds and
technical challenges stalled its implementation.
The two countries are now exploring a public private partnership to reactivate the
project which will also ensure the supply of potable water to communities in the
southeastern part of Ghana, including Ehie, Denu, Agbozume, Tokor Betsima,
Gamadzra Anyako, Kilkor, Avoene, Sogakope and Akatsi.
The project will include the construction of a raw water intake facility at Sogakope
to draw water from the Volta River for potable water production.
A water treatment plant and an 82 kilometer water transmission pipeline will also
be constructed between Sogakope in Ghana and Segbe in Togo as part of the
project.
The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Togo.
Signing for Ghana, the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji
Collins Dauda, said the agreement paves the way for a feasibility study to be
undertaken to ascertain the actual scope and cost of the project prior to its
implementation.
Alhaji Dauda said the feasibility study was expected to upgrade a former study
conducted in 2005 on the project.
He explained that an upgrade had become necessary because the population and
other indicators used in the former study – 10 years ago – had changed and,
therefore, it had to be upgraded to determine the actual scope and cost of the
project currently.
The feasibility study has been scheduled for 14 months, beginning in January 2015
under the auspices of the African Development Bank (AFDB).
Alhaji Dauda said a consultant had already been appointed to facilitate the
commencement of the feasibility studies.
According to him, both governments considering the benefits of the project have
decided to implement it now under the local public-private partnership (PPP)
agreement.
The PPP agreement will ensure that through a water purchase agreement, the
two countries would not make any direct investment into the project.
He explained that a private investor would be given the opportunity to carry out
the project and sell the potable water produced to the government of Ghana to
be supplied to Lome and other targeted communities in Ghana.
The Minister of Rural Equipment, Togo, Mr Nabagou Bissoune, commended the
presidents of both countries for their interest and commitment to ensuring that
the project was implemented to enhance water supply in both countries.
According to him, the provision of potable water, particularly in Lome, has been
very challenging due to the absence of enough natural water bodies.
Mr Bissoune said as a result ground water had been overexploited, particularly
through the construction of more boreholes.
He acknowledged that the completion of the project would ensure the provision
of safe, reliable and affordable water to the people of Lome.
