The Ghana Gold Board (GOLDBOD) has committed GHS8.4 million for the first phase of rehabilitation of water treatment plants severely affected by illegal mining activities in the Western and Central Regions.

Announcing the intervention at a signing ceremony with Ghana Water Limited (GWL), GOLDBOD's CEO, Sammy Gyamfi, said the support forms part of the board’s mandate beyond gold trading, including environmental restoration and corporate social responsibility.

“Parliament, in passing the Ghana Gold Board Act 2025, Act 1140, gave the Gold Board a number of other functions that are complementary to the gold trading mandates,” he stated.

“One of such functions is the support of sustainability initiatives in the nature of reclamation, environmental restoration, and what have you.”

According to Mr Gyamfi, GWL alerted GOLDBOD that illegal mining, sand winning and other activities had caused severe degradation to six critical water supply systems: Abonsa, Daboase, Skyereheman and Wiamoase.

“These were the six that Ghana Water requested our support to rehabilitate. We commissioned our ESG officers to work with them to do some feasibility studies, which was done. And we indeed confirmed that the siltation levels of water bodies were very extreme,” he said.

Due to budget constraints, GOLDBOD will adopt a phased approach. 

“What we are doing today is in respect of aiming to support the rehabilitation of three out of these six water supply systems. The three are Abunsa, Abwasi, Enyirasi water supply systems,” he explained.

He noted that the problems “predate a one-year-old Ghana Gold Board.

“We are not the ones that created the problem we are talking about... But it's all about Ghana, it's not about when the problem happens, it's about how we can solve it.”

Under the Water Infrastructure Rehabilitation Funding and Implementation Agreement, works will include:

- Desilting of critical water systems

- Dredging, hydrographic surveys and sediment removal 

- Reservoir capacity assessment

- Intake infrastructure stabilisation

- Water quality restoration and monitoring

- Engineering, supervision and technical verification

Mr Gyamfi said GOLDBOD does not “want to just emit money” but will also designate representatives to monitor the project. GWL will implement the works in accordance with the law and with “suitably qualified personnel.”

The CEO emphasised that safe drinking water is a national responsibility.

“This is about drinking water. Of us, get our drinking water from these sources... Water, they say, is life,” he noted.

“Their own IGF and other allocations have proven inadequate to address a whole gamut of challenges. So today, the Ghana Gold Board is expressing its commitment for the rehabilitation of three of these six water treatment supplies.”

He added that if this first phase succeeds, GOLDBOD hopes to move to phase two to cover the remaining three systems.

The Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited, Adam Mutawakilu, also addressed the gathering and presented videos showing the current state of the affected water supply systems.

He has disclosed that the problem of high turbidity affecting key water treatment plants in the Central and Western Regions has persisted for over 9 years.

Speaking at the signing of a funding agreement with the Ghana Gold Board (GOLDBOD), he said GWCL could no longer handle the challenge alone and had to seek external support.

“The issue of high turbidity has been with us for over nine years now. When we came to power, we realized that Ghana Water alone cannot handle the need to get other agencies to come to our aid. That's why we have to approach you,” he stated.

Mutawakilu commended GOLDBOD for the quick response after GWCL’s request.

“It wasn't just a letter we wrote to the board. We sat down and just boom. Technical team was formed. Visited all the sites. Seen the fact that truly there is a need to support us,” he said.

He assured GOLDBOD that GWCL will ensure transparency and proper execution of the GHS 8.4 million project.

“I just want to assure you that whatever you are giving us, we are giving you everything that you need. At the end of the day, we still work together to ensure that whatever is outlined in the agreement comes out. And that will give us the opportunity to request for the phase two,” he said.

The GWCL boss said communities in Bonsa, Abwasi, Enyirasi and surrounding areas in the Central and Western Regions have suffered the most from the degraded water systems.

“I want to assure you that the people of Central and Western Region, Bonsa and Abwasi... People and the staff, prepare them for this sea dredging that will be coming on. I will lead it,” he noted.

He thanked the GOLDBOD CEO, Sammy Gyamfi, and the Board Chairman for the gesture.

He said, “My board has been duly briefed and I am most grateful to the Board Chairman and his greetings. You and your team. Thank you very much.”

Under the agreement, GOLDBOD will fund the rehabilitation of three out of six critically silted water supply systems. The works include dredging, desilting, intake stabilisation and water quality restoration.

GOLDBOD says the intervention forms part of its mandate under the Ghana Gold Board Act 2025, Act 1140 to support environmental restoration and sustainability initiatives.