From facilitator into being the nation's first fully-fledged rural water utility aiming for sustainable, efficient, and equitable water services nationwide.
Published on: 03/06/2025
The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) is undergoing a bold transformation, one that redefines its role from a facilitator to a fully-fledged rural water utility. This vision, which began in 2017, is at the heart of the Rural Water Utilisation Project (RWUP), a collaborative initiative aimed at ensuring sustainable, efficient, and equitable water service delivery across Ghana’s rural communities.
Driven by the ambition to become the leading rural water utility in Africa, CWSA is working closely with partners such as IRC Ghana, WSUP, Safe Water Network, and others to re-engineer its internal systems, enhance operational efficiency, and expand access to safe water through innovative, state-of-the-art infrastructure.
RWUP is built on three core pillars: strengthening CWSA’s internal mechanisms to function as a utility, improving performance at the facility level, and increasing access to water services through scalable, high-quality systems. These efforts are underpinned by a strong emphasis on learning, dialogue, and co-creation among stakeholders.
The focus is to support CWSA to establish an effective rural and small-town water utility model approach in the Western region, with strengthened capacity at the national level, which can be replicated across the country in the context of rural water reforms in Ghana.
“CWSA’s vision is to be the best rural water utility in Africa. For us, it’s about supporting them to become a high-performing utility capable of reaching that goal,” said Frank Kettey of WSUP.
From leadership development and digital asset mapping to water safety planning and customer service reforms, the project is equipping CWSA staff with the tools and knowledge needed to deliver reliable, affordable, and safe water. The initiative also highlights the importance of community engagement, professional staffing, and financial sustainability - key ingredients for long-term success.
“We cannot stay in the transition phase of the reform forever; we need to bring it to a logical conclusion, and we need leaders from government to make it happen,” said Vida Duti of IRC Ghana.
As the reform progresses, CWSA and its partners are calling on government leaders, donors, and the global WASH community to support this critical transition. The message is clear: sustainable water for all is not just a vision, it is a shared responsibility.
Learn more about this story in this video.
"We cannot stay in the transition phase of the reform forever; we need to bring it to a logical conclusion, and we need leaders from government to make it happen," - Vida Duti of IRC Ghana.
"CWSA's vision is to be the best rural water utility in Africa. For us, it's about supporting them to become a high-performing utility capable of reaching that goal," - Frank Kettey of WSUP.
