The Canadian government has initiated talks with the government towards the construction of a water supply system for the Esiama community and its environs in the Western Region.
Dubbed “Esiama project,” it is expected to improve potable water supply in the catchment area thereby enhance the livelihood of the residents as well as meet the health and sanitation needs of the people.
This came to light yesterday when the Canadian Ambassador to Ghana,Kati Csabapaid a courtesy call on the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR), Ms Cecilia AbenaDapaah.
The call was also to deepen the relationship between both countries beyond their development activities as well as build a relationship which would be based on its trade investments linkages
Mrs Csaba said the project which would be implemented by the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), was ready to begin more detailed study on the Esiama project, explaining that, the CCC would take the risk of contracting the Canadian supplier.
This, she said, would ensure that the burden of negotiating directlywith the company would be taken off the receiving government.
Mrs Csaba said when the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is signed the government of Ghana would work directly with the government of Canada and not with the project executors.
“This programme is far less risky than going directly and procuring a company to deliver these services, as in this situation it is the government of Canada through its commercial cooperation that will be executing the project,” she explained.
She said Canada over the years have made contributions in the Northern sector of the country by providing drinking water, improve latrines and water facilities
She mentioned that, her country have provided Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities to households in eight regions across the country explaining that it was to support low income households to purchase latrines with their payments spread over a longer period of time.
The Canadian Ambassador said her outfit continue to have funding through water aid where 25 healthcare facilities in the Upper East Region have received water and sanitation support, especially for newborns and healthcare workers.
MsDapaah said it does not work when a governmental agency wanting to deal with an agency, but rather “the company will have to deal with the Ministry of Finance or us.”
She said this was a different module that the board, Ghana Water Company found it “cumbersome” which ended in a stalemate but said “we will find a way out of this.”
According to Ms Dapaah, the project should not be impossible because it was a new project adding that her outfit would look at the programme so that time was not wasted on it.
She said Ghana and Canada have enjoyed four decades of relationship adding that there was a C$10.7 million project from 2015 to 2023 which would create a number of jobs for those managing toilets in the local communities.
In the WASH sector, she said there was a collaboration with Water Aid Ghana to provide water and sanitation facilities especially in the Northern sector.