Ghana Water loses 47.6% of daily supply to illegal connections and leakages – Adam Mutawakilu

By Hubeyidatu Mumuni 

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Water Limited (GWL), Adam Mutawakilu, has disclosed that the company is unable to account for 47.6 per cent of the water it produces daily, largely due to illegal connections and leakages.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, September 2, during a discussion on the topic, “Is Ghana’s water quality and access under threat?”, Mr Mutawakilu said Ghana Water currently produces about 219 million gallons of water daily, against a national demand of approximately 350 million gallons.

He explained that the company’s non-revenue water rate, which refers to water produced but not billed, stood at 47.6 per cent as of June 2026.

This, he said, represents an improvement from 52.2 per cent recorded in December 2024 and 51.6 per cent in December 2025.

According to Mr Mutawakilu, illegal consumption accounts for about 78 per cent of the unaccounted-for water, while physical leakages make up the remaining 22 per cent.

“The water is not lost. It is consumed by Ghanaians, but illegally,” he said.

He further attributed the physical leakages to ageing and weakened pipelines, some of which have been in use since the 1960s.

“Some of our pipelines have been there since the 1960s, so naturally, they have weakened and are prone to leakages,” Mr Mutawakilu explained.

He said Ghana Water has intensified efforts to replace old pipelines and clamp down on illegal connections as part of measures to reduce water losses, improve efficiency and strengthen revenue collection.