The newly reconstituted board of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has emphasised its commitment to bring to bear high level individual expertise in curbing wastage in all operations of the company, and ensure efficiency in production and service delivery.
Speaking to the B&FT, Board Member, Surv. Prof. Forster Kum-Ankama Sarpong, stated that serving on the previous board, just like a chunk of the other members, gives him much experience in board management and the company’s operations in general. This, coupled with related professional background and career experience, he hopes, better positions the board to deliver competently on its mandate.
According to him, just like any service provider the GWCL is liable to challenges; but the ability to swiftly respond to customer’s issues and address the operational challenges encountered is very critical to meeting expectations of the public as a critical service provider, and this the board will ensure is attained.
“Wastage in the system is one of the critical areas that the company has been focusing on, it comes with the work because there are a lot of activities being carried out in the environment which sometimes affects GWCL pipelines. Some of these come with small leakages that take days to recognise. Also, some of the pipelines are very old and easily get broken – a reason why, continuously, the company carries out routine maintenance exercises to replace and repair some of these pipelines to address the situation; and this will continue.
On the issue of Galamsey, he added, the public requires to be served a certain standard of water; and once the raw water for production has an increased volume of silt, more resources in terms of chemicals etc. have to be used in the production process, which increases the cost of production. “This is the reason why Ghana Water Company is also concerned about the galamsey menace, and will be alert on every development in that regard as we further strive to solve all challenges with GWCL,” he stressed.
Prof. Sarpong comes to the board with a building construction background. Being also a valuer, financial consultant and a lecturer, there are hopes that just like previously his expertise will play a critical role in complementing efforts of the board to move GWCL to the much-desired status.
“The board is yet to start our official meetings and duties, but from the few discussions and engagements we have had, everyone seems to be determined and committed to deliver. So, I can say that the hopes are very high for us to deliver satisfactorily to expectations of the general public. I am optimistic we will be serving mother Ghana very well,” he noted.
Touching on the onus placed on the board by sector-minister Cecelia Dapaah during the board’s inauguration – that they hold project managers responsible to ensure all projects ongoing in the space under the agenda, Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) by 2025 – is achieved, Prof. Sarpong seconded the minister’s call and indicated the board’s readiness to deliver on its mandate.
“I am very happy that the minister drew the attention of everybody working on the project that, in this new era, we will be at their heels to make sure projects are executed and delivered on time; because when a project delays for such a long time, it doesn’t help anybody,” he said.
About Prof. Sarpong
Surveyor Prof. Forster Sarpong is an estate developer and Finance Lead of the National Policy Peer Review Group of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. He is a member of Irish University Business School (UK) University Council. He is a Specialised Project Manager & Companion of the Institute of Management Specialist (UK), a fellow of the Chartered Economists (Ghana) and also a Fellow of the Chartered Financial Managers (USA) as well as member of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors. He chairs the board of the Ghana branch of China-Arab & Africa Business Union and also holds a Doctorate degree in Financial Management, a Ph. D in Business Administration and is a Professor of Financial Science.
