Mahama vows to solve Tamale water challenges

President John Dramani Mahama has pledged to mobilise domestic resources to fix Tamale’s water crisis after a €277 million external facility stalled.

Addressing residents during his tour of the Northern Region, the President explained that an earlier financing arrangement for Tamale and Damango water systems had fallen through due to Ghana’s debt situation.

He noted that Parliament had approved a €277 million facility, but the country’s inability to meet debt obligations disrupted the process.

“When we came, we met that Parliament had approved a 277 million euro facility for Tamale water and Damango water,” he said, outlining the background to the stalled projects.

He stressed that Ghana’s debt default made it difficult to secure additional external financing, forcing development partners to withdraw support.

“If you don’t pay your debt, do they give you a new loan?” he asked, pointing to the realities of international lending.

According to him, the European partners pulled back the facility and are waiting for Ghana’s debt restructuring efforts to progress before reconsidering support.

However, he expressed concern about delays. “We don’t see any sign on the wall that it will come soon,” he stated.

In response, President Mahama said he has directed the Finance Minister to source the equivalent amount locally to ensure the projects proceed without further delay.

“I’ve directed the Minister of Finance that we will find our own 277 million euros in cedis, and we will do the water system ourselves,” he declared.

Reinforcing his personal commitment, he assured residents that the government would not abandon the initiative. “I want to assure the people of Tamale… I’m a citizen of Tamale. If I don’t do this water, nobody will come and do it,” he said.

The pledge is expected to bring renewed attention to water infrastructure challenges in the Northern Region, where access to a reliable supply remains a pressing concern.