By Murtala Issah
The management of Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL) has lost over GH₵88 million between January 2024 and May 2025. The revelation was made during the launch of a new initiative dubbed “Tamale in Focus,” aimed at combating revenue losses caused by illegal connections and pipeline tampering within the Northern Region.
Addressing stakeholders at the launch, a Non-Revenue Water Officer from GWCL explained that the ongoing revenue leakages have severely impacted the company’s ability to provide reliable water services.
Tamale in Focus is an initiative of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), in collaboration with the Ghana Water Company Ltd and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo).
The Regional Manager of PURC, Ali Simon Jarana, expressed concern over the rising indebtedness of utility companies. He noted that debts have reached unsustainable levels, adding that the companies risk collapsing under the weight of the growing financial burden if urgent measures are not implemented.
The Northern Regional Minister, Adolf Ali John, warned that any customer caught tampering with utility infrastructure will be dealt with in accordance with the law.
He cautioned, “The Northern Electricity Company (NEDCo) and Ghana Water Limited (GWL) are the only public utility providers in the Northern Region. If care is not taken, we may one day wake up to find they have both collapsed due to mounting debts from customers and rampant illegal connections, especially in the Tamale Metropolis.”
