BY FRANZ VANDERPUYE
ACCRA — The campaign by individuals and non-governmental organisations to halt the government of Ghana's policy of privatising the water supply has been intensified, with the formation of the Ghana National Coalition Against the Privatisation of Water.
CAP is campaigning to ensure that the right to water is explicitly guaranteed under the constitution of the Republic of Ghana. It also aims to ensure that the ownership, control and management of water services remains in public hands.
CAP is made up of a diverse group of individuals and organisations drawn from various parts of the country, and from other parts of Africa, Europe and the United States. It is spearheaded by the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), a local research and advocacy institution.
A campaign document, "Accra Declaration on the Right to Water", commits the coalition to conducting a broad-based campaign to ensure that all Ghanaians have access to adequate and affordable potable water by 2010.
The Accra Declaration was an outcome of a four-day workshop organised in May by ISODEC to discuss the consequences of privatising the water sector in Ghana. It discussed water management issues, poverty and public health and explored the links between national policies and the policies of bilateral donors, the international financial institutions and the World Trade Organisation.
The coalition rejects the view that privatisation, particularly the participation of foreign transnational corporations, is the appropriate solution to the problems bedevilling Ghana's water sector.
"We reject the view that the public sector is incapable of being reformed to deliver water services efficiently and effectively to all", said CAP coordinator Rudolf Amenga-Etego.
As a first step, CAP is calling on the government of Ghana to reverse its decision to put the privatisation process on a fast track and to reconsider the broader decision to invite the participation of foreign companies in the water sector.
Instead, the government is being urged to investigate models that enhance and promote local businesses in co-operation with communities, local government bodies and the Ghana Water Company Limited.
The coalition is asking government to publish the terms guiding the bidding process as well as the profile of the companies shortlisted to bid. It is also demanding that government put all relevant documents in the public domain, including World Bank mission, project and evaluation reports and the "Stone and Webster Report", otherwise known as Transaction Advisor's Report, which details profiles of multinationals.
The Ghana Trades Union Congress is also being drawn into the battle with a call on the labour union to be at the forefront of the struggle for the right to water, and the country's right to keep its public utilities within the public sector.
International donors and creditors, including the World Bank and the IMF, have also been urged to de-link external assistance and soft loans from conditions that require the government to privatise Ghana's water systems.
[Abridged from AllAfrica.com.]