Ghana, Togo sign MoU on water supply project

 Ghana and Togo have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to construct a Sogakope-Lome trans boundary water supply project. The MoU was signed by Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu, Chief Director of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing (MWRWH), Ghana and Mr Affo Boni Adjama, Manager of Potable Water Supply, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Hydraulic of Togo. Mr Daniel Verdeil, Principal Water Resource Management Engineer of the African Development Bank and Mr Frederick Christian Lokko, acting Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited also signed on behalf of their companies. Mr Sampson Ahi, Deputy Minister of MWRWH, Ghana, said the government would make sure the project was implemented and executed because of the nation’s relationship with Togo. “We will work with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that what is necessary to make the project successful is put in place," he said. The scope of the estimated €2 million project will include; construction of new intake on the Volta River at Sogakope; construction of a 40-70mgd treatment plant; construction of transmission pipelines to Lome-Togo (reviewed later to Segbe) and distribution of pipelines to the riparian villages and communities within the project area. There will be construction of Service Reservoirs and Booster Stations at many areas, including Agbozume, Tokor, Gamadzra Anyako, Klikor, Avoeme, Sogakope, Akatsi, Aflao, and Abor. Funding for the current phase of the project (project preparation phase) will be provided by the AfDB under its African Water Facility and the African Legal Support Facility. Alhaji Yakubu said the idea of supplying potable water to Lome, the Capital of Togo, from Sogakope in the Volta Region was conceived in the early 1970’s when feasibility studies were prepared for water supply to the towns along the coast in the south east of Ghana. He explained that Messrs. Lemna Incorporation of Minneapolis, USA, was selected in 2003 out of four US firms which submitted proposals, to undertake the feasibility study and preliminary design of the project. “To move the project into works implementation phase, there is the need for an update of the Lemna Report which was completed in 2005. The African Development Bank has agreed to finance the update of the feasibility and Environmental studies,” he said.