Ghana Water Limited (GWL) today officially inaugurated ten Revenue Enhancement Teams nationwide in a move aimed at curbing crippling non-revenue water losses, recovering billions in unpaid bills, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of potable water supply across the country.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Hon. Adam Mutawakilu, Acting Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited, described the initiative as a “decisive turning point” in the company’s transformation journey.
“Today is not merely ceremonial,” Mutawakilu said. “It represents our collective resolve to strengthen our finances, protect our infrastructure, and deliver better, faster, and more reliable service to every Ghanaian.”
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Mutawakilu outlined the severe operational and financial pressures confronting GWL, including sharply rising costs of treatment chemicals, electricity, fuel, and maintenance; aging infrastructure prone to frequent bursts and leakages; and a widening production-consumption gap driven by climate variability, pollution, and rapid urbanization.
Nationally, daily water demand stands at approximately 350 million gallons, yet GWL’s treatment facilities can only produce 220 million gallons—leaving a deficit of 130 million gallons per day. In the Accra–Tema Metropolitan Area alone, demand reaches 210 million gallons daily against a supply of 137 million gallons, resulting in a shortfall of 73 million gallons.
The most alarming figure highlighted was the level of Non-Revenue Water (NRW), which stood at 52% as of December 2024. This means that out of the 220 million gallons supplied daily nationwide, 114 million gallons are unaccounted for, with only 106 million gallons properly billed. In Accra–Tema, 71 million gallons of the 137 million supplied daily are lost.
Mutawakilu attributed the losses to two main categories: technical losses (≈22%) from leakages and bursts, and commercial losses (≈78%) primarily from illegal connections, meter bypassing, billing anomalies, and outright water theft.
“Illegal connections convert treated water into zero revenue,” he stressed. “They reduce pressure for law-abiding customers and undermine fairness in the system. Every illegal connection means lost bills, lost chemicals, lost electricity, and lost revenue. This situation is simply unsustainable.”
The Revenue Enhancement Teams were first piloted in August 2025. Between August 2024 and December 2025, the initial three teams uncovered 217–239 illegal connections, charged GH¢8.6 million (including GH¢3 million from just two clients), and recovered GH¢2.1 million.
Encouraged by these early results, management has now scaled up to ten fully operational teams nationwide. Their mandate includes improving revenue collection, reducing customer indebtedness, detecting and eliminating illegal connections, verifying meters, correcting billing anomalies, supporting NRW reduction, educating customers, and promoting voluntary compliance.
Mutawakilu emphasized that the teams are not punitive but corrective, protective, and supportive.
“We seek compliance, not confrontation. We seek fairness, not hardship. We seek sustainability for the benefit of all,” he said.
He also highlighted GWL’s ongoing digital transformation efforts—mobile money payments, SMS/email billing, a customer app, call centres, social media support, and flexible payment plans for genuine hardship cases—making bill payment “convenient, transparent, and stress-free.”
In a direct appeal to customers, the Acting MD urged prompt payment of water bills, noting that every cedi collected funds chemicals, electricity, plant maintenance, pipe replacements, network expansion, technology upgrades, and overall service improvement.
“Ghana Water Limited belongs to all of us. Its sustainability is our shared responsibility,” he concluded.
The inauguration marks the beginning of what Mutawakilu described as “a new chapter defined by accountability, efficiency, innovation, and service excellence.”
