A former Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited, Dr. Clifford Braimah, has called for sweeping reforms in Ghana’s water sector, including the decentralisation of distribution systems to improve efficiency and attract private investment.
He argued that Ghana’s water challenges extend beyond illegal mining, pointing to widespread human activities that introduce harmful chemicals into water bodies and threaten critical catchment areas.
Dr. Braimah also noted that rapid population growth has outpaced the capacity of existing water treatment plants, placing significant strain on distribution systems, especially in urban centres.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, he maintained that a structural overhaul of the sector is necessary to deliver sustainable outcomes.
“We must refocus on a reform of the entire water sector. If you don’t create a situation where people will get interested in coming into the water sector—because it is a business that, when run properly, can be viable—efficiency will continue to decline if the system becomes too heavy,” he said.
He proposed the creation of “water markets” under a decentralised framework, where Ghana Water Limited would focus on bulk water production while distribution is handled by local entities, including private operators and local authorities.
“My thinking is that we must create water markets in Ghana. In creating water markets, what we are looking at is running a decentralised system in line with our constitutional framework. Ghana Water has much expertise in production, but to make it more efficient, it can focus on bulk supply, while others take responsibility for distribution,” he explained.
Dr. Braimah cited examples such as Savelugu, where locally managed distribution systems already exist, though he acknowledged capacity gaps that must be addressed to improve performance.
He added that decentralisation could unlock private capital, improve service delivery, and promote more responsive, community-based management of water systems.
However, he cautioned that such a model could result in varying tariffs across locations due to differences in population size and economies of scale.
“If you send somebody to a town of 2,000 people, the tariff will be higher than in a city of 20,000, because water systems benefit from economies of scale. The larger the population, the lower the unit cost,” he noted.
