The Coca-Cola system, WaterHealth International (WHI), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, have announced the launch of the Ghana programme as part of the Safe Water for Africa (SWA) partnership. This new and innovative collaboration, announced at the Ghana Water Forum on September 5, will invest over US$6 million to provide sustainable access to safe drinking water in Africa, initially in Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia. The Coca-Cola system comprises [The Coca-Cola Company, Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company & the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF)] Diageo [Diageo plc, the Diageo Foundation, Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd., and Guinness Nigeria Breweries Ltd.] The strategic partnership will work with communities to drive the expansion of WHI’s innovative clean water service delivery model across the continent. With funding from Coca-Cola, Diageo, and WHI to build at least 50 WaterHealth Centres (WHCs) and to deliver sustainable safe water access for communities across Ghana, Nigeria, and Liberia, with new country programmes expected in 2012 and beyond. Building on this core investment, SWA plans to raise a total of over US$20 million to fulfill its ambition of providing safe water to at least 2 million Africans by the end of 2012. The programme will begin with 10 WHCs in Ghana. Since the inception of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, Ghana has seen improvement in water supply coverage with an increase in coverage in rural areas by over 20%. 18% of the population, however still lacks access. SWA will help to accelerate the achievement of these water supply targets in Ghana and beyond with its unique combination of business leadership and community and public sector engagement. The SWA partnership is a private sector-led initiative based on the use of an innovative, but most importantly self-sustaining, model of water provision. WHI already installs, operates, and maintains decentralised water treatment facilities - WaterHealth Centres - throughout the developing world. WHCs are small modular structures that house water purification equipment to treat locally available water through a combination of sedimentation, pre-filtration, and ultra-violet technology. The funding from Coca-Cola, Diageo and IFC covers all of the infrastructure costs. Each centre produces World Health Organization (WHO) quality water that is available, for a nominal usage fee, on site or pumped to additional distribution points depending on the size and density of the community. WHI works in partnership with communities to determine the appropriate, affordable, usage fees for the water purification service, allowing community members to directly access safe water from the facility at a minimal cost. Over time, the increased adoption of the service is able to cover the cost of the operation and maintenance of the facility, allowing it to become sustainable. By providing ongoing operations, maintenance support and regular water quality monitoring for a period of at least 10 years, these WaterHealth Centres will become the reliable source for WHO quality water for these communities. The programme has won the backing of the World Bank, International Financial Corporation and other respected organisations (including the Acumen Fund and Dow Ventures). SWA’s partners will work together on an ongoing basis to provide financing and coordinated in-country support to expand WHI’s innovative service-delivery throughout Africa. “SWA is a partnership that brings business acumen to bear on water supply challenges in the rapidly changing communities of West Africa, which is why we are so pleased to be announcing it at the Ghana Water Forum, an event that provides tremendous leadership across sectors on meeting these challenges. Providing access to sustainable safe water supplies in Africa is the primary goal of Diageo’s “Water of Life” programme, an initiative that has already benefited nearly 5 million people. SWA will help us to reach our goal and make a lasting impact,” said Nana Yaa Ofori-Atta, Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd. In targeting water access and promoting water security, SWA is fundamentally supporting the long-term socio-economic development West Africa. Water access contributes to healthy communities unleashing the power of entrepreneurs and assuring vibrant and productive local economies. When our communities are successful, we are successful,” says William Asiko, President of TCCAF. “We are pleased to partner with Diageo, WHI and IFC to more effectively target those populations in need of safe water access that our Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) seeks out and we invite others to join us in these efforts.” “One of the keystones to the success of WaterHealth’s model in Ghana has been its supply of affordable safe water. In countries like Ghana where cost is a barrier to access, our work with the water sector, governments, communities, and civil society allows us to determine a reasonable price point that ensures equitable and sustainable access. We look forward to working with our communities to lay the foundations for further economic growth through the provision of safe water,” says Sanjay Bhatnagar, Chief Executive Officer of WHI. The SWA partnership is working with leading water sector donors and one of WHI’s key shareholders and lenders, the International Finance Corporation, to raise additional funding to provide African communities with safe drinking water. “IFC is actively supporting the expansion of the WaterHealth model, which will leverage both global and regional investments to combat water challenges in Africa. The Safe Water for Africa partnership will accelerate the number of beneficiaries with access to drinking water in Ghana and contribute significantly towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals established by the United Nations,” said Usha Rao-Monari, Global Head, Water, International Finance Corporation.