The Northern Region Small Towns Water and Sanitation Project (NORST), a Canadian support programme, has presented vehicles and equipment, including laptops and accessories, to facilitate the work of its partner organisations in the region.
The facilities would enable the organisations to support and monitor water supply, sanitation planning and management in some deprived communities in beneficiary districts in the region.
The beneficiary organisations are the Community Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (CWSA); and the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate (EHSD) of the Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing.
Project
The GH¢75 million NORST project that commenced in the region in 2009 is to be completed by 2016. It covers 20 small towns in 13 districts of the region.
According to the counsellor in charge of development at the Canadian High Commission in Ghana, Mr Daniel Arsenault, the intervention includes the provision of infrastructure and technical assistance.
He further explained that the transfer of assets and responsibilities to the beneficiary organisations was part of the project’s objective of strengthening monitoring and evaluation at the community level.
The counsellor indicated that apart from the provision of water and sanitation facilities, the Canadian Government was also funding projects in agriculture, food security and nutrition to improve productivity and the health of mothers, babies and children.
Mr Arsenault further revealed that his government had in recent times provided Ghana with GH¢250 million annually to facilitate the various development programmes in the country, particularly in Northern Ghana, where poverty was endemic, adding, “so far I must say we are satisfied with the outcome of the projects.”
Appreciation
The Acting Director at the Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing, Alhaji Ziblim Yakubu ,who received the items on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed appreciation to the benefactors for their continuous support to the sector over the years.
He said the demonstration of goodwill displayed by the management of NORST would be reciprocated through the judicious use of the facilities to make an impact in the deprived communities.
Alhaji Yakubu also expressed gratitude to the government and people of Canada for their tremendous support to the accelerated development of Ghana over the past years.
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