World Bank approves funds for sanitation and water supply project in Ghana

The World Bank (WB) has approved an International Development Association (IDA) grant of $155m to support the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project in Ghana.

The first $5m IDA grant will support the Natural Resources and Environmental Governance project with technical assistance.

Under the fund, the project has been designed to provide technical assistance to help improve the capacity of government agencies to plan, manage and use natural resources in selected sectors more effectively and sustainably.

The second IDA grant of $150m will support the GAMA Sanitation and Water Project.

The five-year programme has been designed to bring sanitation facilities and water supply to residents in the GAMA with importance on low income communities and strengthen management of environmental sanitation.

The WB-approved fund is expected to provide Ghana increased access to improved sanitation and water supply services for more than 3.6 million people living in and around the GAMA region.

World Bank project task team leader Ventura Bengoechea said that the country’s growing economy is accompanied by rapid urbanisation.

"But the provision of basic services has not kept up, and it is particularly affecting people living in low-income areas," Bengoechea added.

"I look forward to helping to effective implementation of this project and to bringing improved sanitation and water services benefiting many low-income GAMA residents."

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Image: The World Bank headquarters in Washington, US. Photo: Courtesy of Shiny Things.