Gold Fields Ghana Foundation holds Q4 WATSAN review meeting

By Juliet Aguiar DUGBARTEY, Tarkwa

The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has held its Quarter Four (Q4) Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Review Meeting to assess activities carried out throughout 2025.

The meeting brought together WATSAN committees from communities across the Tarkwa-Nsuaem and Prestea-Huni Valley Municipalities to assess activities carried out throughout 2025.

According to Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator-Water and Sanitation, Health, the year under review saw several capacity-building activities, including area mechanics training, refresher training sessions, monitoring visits, and quarterly reviews. These are all aimed at strengthening community-led water and sanitation management.

She explained that the Q4 review meeting provided a platform for all 22 host communities to give accounts of their achievements, challenges, and recommendations for the 2026 WATSAN programme.

“Together, we assess what has been done and plan how best to run the WATSAN activities smoothly and efficiently in the coming year,” she said.

Ms. Mohammed highlighted notable improvements in several communities.

“We know New Atuabo has a success story, but other communities such as Amoanda and Koduakrom are also doing well. Some have undertaken extensions to underserved areas, while others have drilled additional boreholes to augment existing systems,” she clarified.

She pointed out that monitoring exercises carried out by the Foundation revealed encouraging improvements in sanitation practices and water infrastructure maintenance.

“We visited communities to assess their water and sanitation facilities. Their standpipes and pipelines are well kept, and we’ve supplied them with sanitation materials to motivate them to maintain cleanliness around their facilities,” she said.

Despite the progress, she noted that some communities continue to grapple with issues relating to maintenance culture.

“A few community members still think that because Gold Fields provided the water systems, they should use them for free. But we keep preaching maintenance culture. For water systems to remain sustainable, communities must take ownership and contribute to their upkeep,” Ms. Mohammed emphasized.

She reiterated the need for stronger community ownership, stressing that sustainability depends on the willingness of residents to maintain and extend infrastructure.

“It’s about ownership. Once you accept that the system belongs to you, you are more committed to protecting and sustaining it for the future,” she said.

Ms. Mohammed encouraged the WATSAN teams to continue improving their operations and maintain the momentum as the Foundation prepares to refine its 2026 water and sanitation strategy.