The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has signed a GH¢8.4 million agreement with Ghana Water Limited (GWL) to rehabilitate three major water supply systems in the Western and Central Regions.
The deal forms part of efforts to address the impact of illegal mining and environmental degradation on water infrastructure.
The intervention forms Phase One of a broader rehabilitation programme and will restore the Bonsa, Daboase and Sekyere Heman Water Supply Systems. The three facilities have faced severe operational challenges in recent years due to high turbidity caused by illegal mining, sand winning and other environmental factors.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, Esq., said GWL’s Managing Director first approached the Board in October 2025 for support to rehabilitate six water treatment plants that had deteriorated over the years.
Rather than releasing funds immediately, Mr. Gyamfi said GoldBod set up a technical assessment team from its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Unit under the Responsible Mining and Sustainability Directorate to independently verify the condition of the facilities.
Findings from the assessment, he noted, confirmed the urgent need for intervention. This led the Board to approve funding for three of the six plants under Phase One.
“If this first phase is successfully implemented, it will pave the way for us to support the rehabilitation of the remaining three facilities at Baifikrom, Kwanyako and Essagyir under Phase Two,” Mr. Gyamfi stated.
He explained that although the challenges predated GoldBod’s establishment, the Board deemed it necessary to intervene because access to clean water is fundamental to public health and well-being.
Mr. Gyamfi added that the project falls within GoldBod’s statutory mandate of supporting sustainability initiatives and is captured in the Board’s ESG and corporate social responsibility policies.
“Coupled with our CSR policy, GoldBod has taken interest in projects that are aimed at restoring our environment and protecting the ecological integrity of our society,” he said.
To ensure accountability, he disclosed that both institutions signed a detailed implementation agreement. Under the arrangement, GWL will execute the rehabilitation works while GoldBod’s technical team will provide continuous monitoring and evaluation to ensure compliance with standards and timelines.
Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited, Mr. Adam Mutawakilu, expressed appreciation to GoldBod for the timely support.
He said the affected plants have battled high turbidity for the past nine years, severely affecting water production and delivery to beneficiary communities. The cost of rehabilitation, he added, was beyond GWL’s internally generated funds.
Mr. Mutawakilu commended GoldBod for its professional approach of conducting an independent assessment before approving funding, and assured that the money would be used strictly in accordance with the agreement.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Gyamfi described the partnership as a demonstration of GoldBod’s broader national development agenda and called on other public and private institutions to support similar interventions that safeguard critical public infrastructure.
The project marks another milestone in GoldBod’s environmental stewardship agenda, as the Board seeks to complement efforts to formalise Ghana’s gold sector with investments that address the social and environmental impacts of mining.
