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| Presentation of the water equipment |
The National Youth Employment Program has introduced a new module on sachet water production.
The scheme will see all 17 districts of the Central Region supplied with water sachet producing machines. This new project will supply jobs for the unemployed young people of the districts to produce hygienic water throughout the Central region in an ambitious attempt to kill two birds with one stone.
The distribution of clean, pure water to every Ghanaian home has been a longstanding issue in the Central Region. Many Ghanaians still drink unprocessed, contaminated water that often results in the contraction of diseases such as, guinea worm or cholera. It is the right of every human being to have access to a clean, safe supply of water and that has been recognised by this scheme. The Regional Minister Ama Benyiwa Doe launched the programme in Cape coast.
She said the project aims to tackle another of the Central Regions’ pressing issues, unemployment. There is an unacceptable amount of young people who leave school only to find that there is no work for them in the adult world. This means that a whole sector of young people are condemned to a life of struggle, begging or street crime during the peak years of their physical and mental capability to work. The project plans to eventually introduce an influx of trained young people to operate the machines that will supply the accessible, pure water that Ghanaians need to survive without the fear of contracting a serious illness. Her speech was read by the Presidential Aide responsible for the region Patrick Aniagyei.
The Regional Coordinator Nana Osibi explained that each machine produces 2,500 sachets per hour and is the ‘most efficient machine in the country today’. Therefore, in an 8 hour working day approximately 20,000 sachets of liquid life can be produced. This would make a major difference to the accessibility of clean, cheap water that may prevent people from hacking into pipes in order to steal clean water that often results in the contamination of the entire water supply. Chairman Derry then stated, ‘the machine was assembled here meaning that it is environmentally friendly and there are plans to organise the recycling of the plastic sachet’s.’ This shows the concern of the organisers that this is a green, sustainable program.  |
| Patrick Aniagyei |
At market value these machines cost 12,000 GH cedis, however, the government have supported the program by lowering the amount that needs to be repaid to 2,500 GH cedis. An agreement has been made that a monthly payment of 70 cedis will be repaid to the government until the debt has been paid off. Hon. Ama Benyiwah Doe made it clear that this would be a ‘self-sustaining business that has been facilitated by the government’. The Government and the organisers are eager that debts are repaid as quickly as possible so that the program can be extended to other regions of Ghana that are also facing similar issues.
In this trial stage only two out of Ghana’s ten regions will benefit from the machines. She also stated, ‘It is also important that the managers of this project will be transparent enough so that when it comes to the paying of the debt other members of the group will not say that they did not understand the facts.’
The launch was Chaired by Peter Derry the Coordinator of Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, he appealed to the beneficiaries to make good use of the equipment and to generate employment in their communities.
The sachet water program has now been officially launched and the production of water sachets should begin soon. Hopefully this ambitious program will deliver all its claims and the wider distribution of safe, pure water will significantly lower the risk of contracting disease and sicknesses from contaminated drinking water.
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| Presentation of water tanks by NYEP |
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