The Teshie-Nungua seawater desalination project in Ghana was conceived to expand potable water supply to Teshie-Nungua and surrounding communities. The project used a build-own-operate-transfer public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement, where a private developer would finance and operate the plant and sell treated water to Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL). This arrangement aimed to mobilize private capital for an urgent public need. According to research by Joseph Gerald Nyanyofio, Ph.D., the project's governance and sustainability were examined through interviews with 14 institutional participants and discussions with two focus groups.
The research identified gaps in due diligence, financial appraisal, monitoring, and coordination among public institutions. Participants highlighted the difficulty of assessing a technically complex, unsolicited proposal when the contracting authority lacks sufficient specialist capacity to test its assumptions independently. The study reported a purchase price of US$1.32 per cubic meter of treated water and a capacity charge of approximately US$1.4 million a month under the arrangements examined. These figures expose a financial question: what happens when a utility's contractual payments exceed the revenue it can realistically recover?
The project's benefits were also recorded, with residents describing improved access to water while the plant was operating, and some associating that access with better household sanitation. A dependable supply can reduce the time and expense of obtaining water and support healthier living conditions. However, concerns were raised about interruptions, affordability, distribution infrastructure, and the perceived salinity of supplied water. Reports about taste or salinity warrant careful investigation and transparent publication of test results.
A water PPP must ultimately be assessed at the household tap. Continuity of supply, verified quality, affordable charges, and timely responses to complaints are measures of public value. If the intended consumers cannot reliably use the water, the benefits of the investment diminish, regardless of the plant's technical capacity. Consumers also have a role in oversight, with clear service benchmarks, accessible complaints channels, and regular public reporting helping regulators and utilities identify problems early.
The research provides lessons for future water partnerships, including the need for public authorities to obtain independent technical, financial, and legal assessments before approving a project. Contracting parties should test affordability under difficult but plausible conditions, including currency depreciation, higher energy costs, and lower-than-expected collections. Agreements should set measurable service standards and practical procedures for resolving disputes before they interrupt supply.
The study emphasizes that ministries, utilities, and regulators need the expertise and authority to monitor performance throughout the contract's life. These lessons are relevant wherever governments seek private investment to close infrastructure gaps. A desalination plant may be financed and built through a partnership, but the public obligation continues long after construction. The contract must remain affordable, the institutions must remain capable, and the water must keep flowing.
For Ghana, the central measure of success is straightforward: a project should be financially sustainable for the state and deliver safe, reliable, and affordable water to the people it was built to serve. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited. The article was written by Joseph Gerald Nyanyofio, Ph.D., and published on September 29, 2026, on Joy FM.
Key points
- A water project's success depends on thorough preparation, sustainable financing, and effective governance.
- The Teshie-Nungua desalination project highlights the importance of independent technical, financial, and legal assessments in PPP arrangements.
- A project must be financially sustainable for the state and deliver safe, reliable, and affordable water to the people it was built to serve.
