Ghana Water Limited (GWL) recorded a 3.7% increase in water sales in the first quarter of 2026, outpacing the growth in production, according to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).

The PURC report, titled “Urban Water Sector Performance at a Glance – 2026 Quarter 1,” shows that water sold increased from 43.10 million cubic metres in the first quarter of 2025 to 44.68 million cubic metres during the same period in 2026.

Over the same period, national water production increased by 1%, from 86.97 million cubic metres to 87.88 million cubic metres.

The Commission said the faster growth in sales relative to production indicated an improvement in the proportion of water produced that was converted into billed or sold water.

“The faster growth in water sales relative to production suggests an improvement in the proportion of produced water being converted into billed/sold water,” the report stated.

Water sales were concentrated in the three major metropolitan operational areas, with Accra East, Tema and Accra West recording the highest volumes.

Accra East recorded the largest sales volume at 10.97 million cubic metres, followed by Tema with 8.74 million cubic metres and Accra West with 7.35 million cubic metres.

Central recorded 3.63 million cubic metres, while Ashanti North and Ashanti South recorded 3.15 million and 2.36 million cubic metres, respectively.

Production remained heavily concentrated in the Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area (ATMA), which accounted for 55.48 million cubic metres, representing more than half of national production.

Ashanti followed with 10.19 million cubic metres, while Central, Western and Eastern recorded 4.86 million, 4.24 million and 4.03 million cubic metres, respectively.

The PURC said the concentration of production in ATMA meant that improvements in operational efficiency, distribution management and loss reduction in the system could have a significant impact on GWL’s overall performance.

Despite the increase in water sales, Non-Revenue Water (NRW) remains a major challenge for GWL.

National NRW stood at 49.2% in Q1 2026, 6.2 percentage points above the regulatory benchmark of 43%.

Only three of GWL’s 13 operational regions met the benchmark — Central at 25.4%, Upper West at 29.6% and Brong Ahafo at 39.4%.

The PURC noted that the relatively high NRW levels in Tema and Accra West, combined with their significant contribution to national water sales, made the two areas particularly important for management intervention.

Reducing NRW could allow GWL to convert more of its existing production into revenue, improve financial sustainability, and increase the volume of water available for sale without necessarily increasing production costs.