“Ghana Water MD Reveals Alarming Commercial Losses and Rising Treatment Costs”

Story by Fada Amakye

The Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company, Hon. Adam Mutawakilu, has disclosed that the company is facing significant commercial losses, estimated to be around 80% of the total water lost. This revelation comes as the company struggles to address the challenges of aging infrastructure, high electricity liability, and rising treatment costs.

According to Hon. Mutawakilu, the company’s non-revenue water stood at 52% as of December 2024, with commercial losses accounting for a substantial portion of this figure. The MD attributed the high commercial losses to the difficulty in distinguishing between technical and commercial losses.

The situation is further complicated by the rising cost of water treatment, which has increased significantly since 2017. The company has had to switch from using aluminum sulfate to poly electrolyte, which is five times more expensive. This has resulted in a substantial increase in operational costs.

Hon. Mutawakilu, who took over as MD in February 2025, has implemented several measures to address these challenges, including the establishment of a revenue enhancement team and the restriction of tanker use of hydrants.

While these measures have shown some positive results, with a 20% increase in revenue and a reduction in non-revenue water to 50% in August, the road ahead remains challenging.

The MD emphasized the need for consistent and continuous effort to address these challenges and assured stakeholders that the board and management are committed to improving the company’s performance.