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Two wastewater treatment plants, designed and built by Hungarians, have been inaugurated in the towns of Takoradi and Tamale in Ghana, Tristan Azbej, Secretary of State for Programs for Persecuted Christians at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, told MTI by telephone.
He said that the two wastewater treatment plants were designed and implemented by the Hungarian Pureco-Unit Consortium together with its Ghanaian partners.
The group of companies has already built a wastewater treatment plant in the Kumasi municipality, so together with the new plants, the treatment of the entire collected wastewater of Ghana’s three largest rural towns will be solved.
The three plants will treat the wastewater of nearly two million people and improve the drinking water quality of the entire region. In the past, wastewater in these cities was left untreated, contaminating drinking water, causing epidemics and major public health problems in the region.
Tristan Azbej called the investment of around 3.8 billion forints (EUR 9.9 million) per plant the biggest success story of the Hungarian water industry in the African region.
The State Secretary stressed that the wastewater treatment plants were not part of an aid program, but were implemented on a market basis, with loan financing of €10 million per plant from Eximbank. At the same time,
the “solidarity component of the investments is also significant”, as they will alleviate the wastewater treatment challenges of millions of people and contribute to the drinking water supply of many more.
In addition, the treatment plants also have a population-sustaining effect, as they are significant job-creating investments, he noted.
Ghana and the water situation from above. Photo: Facebook/Azbej Tristan
The diplomatic framework for the investments was created by the Hungarian-Ghanaian Water Agreement signed in 2019, the State Secretary underlined. Tristan Azbej added that Hungary is also contributing to the strengthening of Ghanaian communities through the Hungary Helps program, in particular by supporting underdeveloped communities and those threatened by terrorist organizations spilling over from neighboring Burkina Faso through education, development and other humanitarian projects.
As well as promoting foreign economic relations, the Hungarian government also aims to help the Ghanaian people to maintain stability in their country and build a future in their homeland, rather than opting for migration to Europe, emphasized Tristan Azbej.
Via MTI, Featured photo via Facebook/Azbej Tristan