According to ghana news agency:ccording to Ghana News Agency, the initiative formed part of the CAP component of the Resilience Against Climate Change (REACH) project under the European Union Ghana Agricultural Programme (EUGAP), implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). Speaking at the opening of the training in Wa, Madam Abiba Nibaradun, the Upper West Regional Manager of ActionAid Ghana (AAG), emphasised the need for WUCs to manage the facilities properly to ensure they reached their intended lifespan.
The training, held in Wa, brought together representatives from the nine communities in the Wa Municipality, Wa West and Wa East districts. It covered topics including the roles and responsibilities of WUCs, operation and maintenance of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, financial management and record keeping, sanitation promotion, conflict resolution in water use, tariff setting, and monitoring and reporting.
Similar training sessions were organised for other clusters of communities benefiting from the project, with a total of 300 members of 60 committees representing 60 communities in nine districts - eight districts in the Upper West and one in the savannah regions - expected to be trained.
Mr Cletus B. Bapuogyang, the Extension Service Specialist at the Upper West Regional Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), who facilitated the training, urged the participants to take borehole maintenance seriously by ensuring regular inspection of the facilities. He advised WUCs to prioritise preventive maintenance to avoid breakdowns, respond promptly to faults, leakages and blockages, and seek the services of trained 'area mechanics' for major repairs.
Some participants who spoke to the Ghana News Agency after the training described it as impactful and said they had acquired knowledge to maintain their boreholes. They added that in the past, a lack of technical know-how had led to poor management of water facilities in their communities, which shortened the facilities' lifespan.
Mr Ibrahim Daubile, the Assembly Member for Jonga Electoral Area, urged communities to work closely with individuals or organisations that provided water facilities to ensure water quality was not compromised under the guise of charity.
ActionAid Ghana was implementing three output areas under the CAP component of the EUGAP REACH project: Sustainable Water Management, Forest Restoration and Agro-forestry, and Improved Soil Health, including conservation agriculture.
