Ghana’s Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) hosted a conference for the Review of Regulatory Frameworks for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation and Small Water Supplies in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
The event, which took place at the Best Western Plus Accra Beach Hotel, brought together participants from selected African countries to gather from April 8-10, 2025, to review the existing framework.
Addressing participants, the Executive Secretary of the PURC, Dr. Shafic Suleman, said it was both an honor and a deep sense of responsibility to host the gathering of experts, regulators, policymakers, and stakeholders from across Africa and beyond, all united by a shared commitment to improving rural water services.
Dr. Suleman, on behalf of the PURC and the people of Ghana, extended his warmest welcome to his esteemed colleagues from the Eastern and Southern African Water and Sanitation Regulators Association (ESAWAS), African Forum for Utility Regulators (AFUR), Water Utility Regulation Department (WURD) of Uganda, Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) of Kenya, National Water Supply and Sanitation Council (NWASCO) of Zambia, AguaConsult, and all other institutions represented.
According to Dr. Shafic, “access to safe and sustainable water services remains a fundamental human right and a crucial driver of socio-economic development. Key strategies to provide water access include increasing sector-wide investment and capacity-building, promoting innovation and evidence-based action, enhancing cross-sectoral coordination and cooperation among all stakeholders, and adopting a more integrated and holistic approach to water management. Water is essential not only to health but also to poverty reduction, food security, peace, human rights, ecosystems, and education.”
Dr. Suleman reminded participants that Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) aims to ensure universal access to safe and sustainable water services. As of 2022, 2.2 billion people still lacked access to safely managed drinking water, with 703 million people living without basic water services.
He indicated that 3.5 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation, including 1.5 billion people who live without basic sanitation services; 2 billion people lacked basic handwashing facilities, and 653 million people lived without any handwashing facilities at all.
The Executive Secretary noted that African countries have improved access to safely managed drinking water services; however, a significant disparity still remains between rural and urban areas, where three in five Africans, or 411 million people, still lack safely managed drinking water.
Dr. Suleman reiterated that in Ghana and many African countries, rural and small-community water supply systems serve a significant proportion of the population. However, these systems often face challenges related to financing, service reliability, infrastructure sustainability, and regulatory oversight.
“Over the past decades, Ghana has made remarkable strides in expanding water access, with national water coverage improving significantly,” he stressed.
Nevertheless, gaps remain, particularly in rural and peri-urban sectors, where service quality, accountability, and financial viability require urgent attention.
Dr. Suleman indicated that the workshop is evidence of the power of collaboration.
“The diverse expertise in this room, from Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, and beyond, presents an invaluable opportunity to share insights and build a framework that is both contextually relevant and globally informed. The regulatory landscape for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation is evolving, and it is imperative that we adopt innovative approaches that strengthen oversight, promote private sector participation, and enhance community engagement,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Suleman indicated that this review process provides an opportunity to evaluate existing regulatory tools, identify best practices, and develop a harmonized solution that can drive service improvements while ensuring affordability, sustainability, and equity. Together, we can ensure that rural communities and small towns across Africa have access to reliable, safe, and affordable water services supported by strong regulatory mechanisms.
Participants came from Ghana, Zambia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Germany, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, Burundi, Malawi, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, and Zanzibar.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com
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