Commercial Water Losses Jeopardize Ghana Water Limited’s Operations: Adam Mutawakilu

Accra: Commercial water losses continue to undermine the financial stability and operational capacity of Ghana Water Limited (GWL), the company's Managing Director, Mr. Adam Mutawakilu, has warned. He cautioned that if left unchecked, these losses could cripple GWL's ability to meet rising urban demand, stressing that the company already spends heavily on electricity, treatment chemicals, and network maintenance.According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Mutawakilu, speaking at a stakeholder engagement workshop in Accra, highlighted that illegal connections, meter bypasses, tampering, and non-payment for water had combined to cost the utility millions of cedis in lost revenue. This jeopardizes its ability to expand infrastructure, maintain aging networks, and ensure a reliable water supply. He emphasized, "Every drop of water lost to theft is a drop denied to a community. These practices not only rob GWL of revenue but also deny thousands of households, schools, and hospitals their fair share of safe, treated wate r."The workshop, supported by the World Bank and the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Project, provided a platform for open dialogue among stakeholders. It aimed at shaping policy interventions and operational reforms to curb these losses, bringing together regulators, assemblies, development partners, law enforcement agencies, customers, and the media. Mr. Mutawakilu noted that since taking office in February 2025, he had faced significant challenges, including major liabilities and low revenue mobilization.In response, the National Revenue Enhancement Teams (NRET) were established in July to identify hotspots of commercial losses and act decisively. Initial findings have mapped out the scale and typology of illegal practices within GWL systems. However, given the complexity of the challenge, Mr. Mutawakilu stressed the need for coordinated cross-sector teamwork, stating that sustainable water management requires active participation from all stakeholders.The MD underscored the indispensable role s of regulators such as the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), alongside local assemblies, law enforcement, and the media. He called for stronger oversight, tougher enforcement, and deeper collaboration to combat illegal practices. Mr. Mutawakilu assured participants that the workshop would be a turning point for action, pledging to document the outcomes and integrate them into GWL's operational framework with clear timelines for implementation.Mr. Christopher Bofa, Marketing Manager at GWL Head Office, revealed that since enforcement operations began in August 2025, the NRET had uncovered 109 customers engaged in illegal practices across districts in the Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area. These infractions resulted in charges totaling GHS4,409,017.81, with GHS760,631.71 recovered so far. Prof. Emmanuel Donkor added a data-driven perspective, presenting analytics on consumption patterns in Accra East, which are critical for GWL's planning, billi ng reforms, and public education campaigns.