Ayishetu Mohammed
A Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) initiative by Gold Fields Ghana Foundation is improving the living standards of the people in the beneficiary communities.
A monitoring exercises carried out by the Foundation recently revealed encouraging improvements in sanitation practices and water infrastructure maintenance in the communities.
It was also revealed that the standpipes and pipelines of the communities are well kept. The Foundation therefore supplied them with sanitation materials to motivate them to maintain cleanliness around their facilities.
This came to light during the Quarter Four (Q4) 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 the activities carried out.
Project Coordinator, Ayishetu Mohammed, noted 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.
She said, “New Atuabo had a success story. 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 indicated.
She mentioned that some community members still think that because Gold Fields provided the water systems, they should use them for free.
She said, “For water systems to remain sustainable, communities must take ownership and contribute to their upkeep”.
She told the people that once they accept that the system belongs to them, they should be committed to protecting and sustaining it for the future.
She 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.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi