Guinness Ghana has commissioned a GHC 350,000 Water Health Centre for the people of Akomade, a community in the Atebubu-Amantin district of the Brong Ahafo Region.

The project is part of Guinness Ghana’s Water of Life programme which seeks to provide sustainable access to clean drinking water to unserved and under-served communities in the country.

The facility, partly funded by the Diageo Foundation (the foundation of Guinness Ghana’s company Diageo) has sufficient capacity to serve the water needs of the over 25,000 inhabitants of Akomade and its surrounding areas.

Speaking at the commissioning, Preba Greenstreet, Corporate Relations Director of Guinness Ghana said the beverages company is passionate about growing thriving communities through the sustainable provision of clean drinking water and sanitation.

“Over the last two years alone, GGBL and the Diageo Foundation has jointly sponsored 9 WaterHealth Centres across the country. The AkomadeCentre is the 10th such centre, and as such today is indeed a milestone and we are truly excited about the impact we have made and continue to make through our Water of Life programme.

“As we make significant strides in improving access to water, let us not forget that sanitation is of equal importance. As a nation, we have failed to meet the Millennium Development Goal sanitation target and we require the collective effort of all coupled with behavioural change across the board to improve and to change the status quo. As a business we are committed to the development of awareness in this area and are working with the relevant ministries to enhance their activities in this sector,” she said.

Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, Justice Samuel Agyei, thanked Guinness Ghana and the Diageo Foundation for supporting the Akomade community and entreated the community leadership to take ownership of the facility and to support the project managers to ensure its long term sustainability.

“The provision of water is not enough to ensure we are a cholera-free or diarrhoea-free community. We need to do our part by keeping our township clean. Indiscriminate disposal of waste and other related behaviours must stop. We thank corporate bodies such as GGBL for contributing to the government’s effort to make potable water accessible to all,” he said.

The Akomade area was selected as a beneficiary as a community from which GGBL sources raw material for production of its’ Ruut Extra Premium Beer through an indigenous firm.

Water Health centres are community based water treatment plants with ultra-violet and reverse osmosis systems for purifying water. 

With a storage capacity of 65,000litres per day they can serve the needs of upto 30,000 inhabitants of a community.

Guinness Ghana and the Diageo Foundation have so far sponsored the construction of 9 such mini treatment plants.

Through its Water of Life programme, the company has funded more than 75 water delivery schemes in some 70 communities across the country.