EU-WOP Programme Enhances South-South Partnerships Through Triangular Cooperation for Equitable Water Access
In celebration of the 2024 South-South Cooperation Day , GWOPA/UN-Habitat emphasizes the importance of South-South and triangular cooperation. This approach strengthens partnerships among developing countries through the exchange of experiences, the pooling and sharing of technical resources, and the development of complementary abilities for problem-solving.
Many Water Operators’ Partnerships (WOPs) and Sanitation-focused Water Operator Partnerships (SWOPs) are South-South and play a critical role in promoting utilities to address the lack of access to safely managed drinking water. These partnerships build sustainable capacity by fostering a shared vision among the people and countries of the South, shaped by common historical realities, similar development pathways and shared challenges.
Through peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and collaboration, these solidarity partnerships empower water operators to manage resources more effectively, innovate with suitable technologies, and address emerging challenges. Recently, the EU-WOP programme, titled “Improving Water Service Delivery to Low-income Urban Communities through Turning Data into Actionable Insights!”, funded by the European Union, facilitated mission visits to Sierra Leone and Ghana, bringing together teams from Guma Valley Water Company (GVWC), Ghana Water Ltd (GWL) and Dutch Water Operators (VEI). These visits highlighted the value of knowledge and experience exchange between water experts and marked significant progress in strategic initiatives aimed at sustainable water service delivery.
Elevating GVWC’s Community Water Services Unit for Low-Income Services
Led by Director John Peter Amara, the GVWC team, including professionals like Eunice Tejan and Pierre Palmer, embarked on a collaborative journey to enhance their services. The partnership underscored the need for dedicated pro-poor departments within utilities to ensure equitable water access. It also highlighted the importance of engaging with funders for future opportunities, building strategic partnerships and employing data-driven community engagement. The team focused on refining establishment and strategic plans for effective implementation.
Subsequently, the EU-WOP team advanced crucial strategic initiatives to elevate GVWC’s Community Water Services Unit (CWSU) to departmental status, creating the Community Water Services Department (CWSD). Strategic objectives were mapped out, including enhancing water kiosk models, designing targeted school water supply strategies and developing small-scale water schemes with improved payment systems. These initiatives are vital for ensuring sustainable water service delivery and improving access to safe water in underserved areas.
Strengthening WOPs through Partners for Triangular Cooperation
This WOP has attracted interest, such as from the Embassy of Denmark in Ghana and UNICEF. Mathias Thuborg Madsen, Counsellor at the Danish Embassy in Ghana, conveyed encouraging indications about potential collaborations and the expansion of capacity-building programmes to Sierra Leone.
Additionally, the meeting with UNICEF provided valuable insights into strategic priorities for enhancing water and sanitation services, emphasizing aligning objectives with corporate goals and developing flexible approaches to address evolving challenges. Despite UNICEF’s primary focus on rural areas in Sierra Leone, the potential for collaboration in urban water initiatives was also recognized as valuable.
Through South-South and triangular cooperation, the EU-WOP mission visits to Ghana and Sierra Leone have successfully facilitated knowledge exchange and fostered a spirit of collaboration and innovation in water service delivery. As GVWC advances towards establishing its pro-poor department, the lessons learned from GWL’s experience provide guiding principles for sustainable transformation. The EU-WOP partners exemplify the collective effort needed to tackle complex challenges, bringing the vision of inclusive water service delivery for all communities closer to reality and accelerating progress toward the SDGs.
