Teshie-Nungua Desalination Plant: Civil Society Groups Demand Acquisition Costs Stay Off Consumer Bills

Civil society advocates are sounding the alarm over the government's plans to acquire the Teshie-Nungua Desalination Plant, insisting that any financial burden arising from the purchase must not be transferred to consumers through inflated water tariffs. The Ghana Water Justice Network (GWJN) has made this position clear, calling on authorities to protect ordinary Ghanaians from bearing the cost of what is ultimately a state infrastructure decision.

What the GWJN is demanding

The Ghana Water Justice Network, a coalition of civil society organisations and advocates focused on equitable access to water, is not opposed to the government acquiring the desalination facility. Rather, its concern centres on how the transaction will be financed and whether the financial arrangements will eventually flow down to households already struggling with the cost of water access.

The Network argues that water is a fundamental human right, not a commodity, and that government infrastructure decisions should be financed through appropriate fiscal mechanisms — not by squeezing consumers. The GWJN is therefore urging the government to be transparent about the acquisition cost, the financing model, and how the plant will be operated and maintained going forward.

They are also calling on the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), the body responsible for approving water and electricity tariffs in Ghana, to resist any pressure to increase tariffs on the back of this acquisition. Any tariff review, the Network insists, must be evidence-based and subject to genuine public consultation.

Background: The Teshie-Nungua Desalination Plant

The Teshie-Nungua Desalination Plant is a significant piece of water infrastructure located along the coast of Greater Accra. Desalination — the process of removing salt and impurities from seawater to make it suitable for drinking — represents a growing part of Ghana's strategy to address chronic water shortages in the capital and surrounding areas.

Greater Accra has long faced serious water supply deficits, with many communities relying on expensive sachet water or travelling long distances to access clean water. The desalination plant was developed to help bridge this gap, particularly for coastal communities such as Teshie and Nungua, which are densely populated and historically underserved by the main pipe network.

The plant has operated under a private arrangement, and the government's move to acquire it reflects a broader policy direction of bringing key water infrastructure under greater public control. While this goal has received general support, the terms and cost of the acquisition have raised questions among civil society groups.

Why it matters for Ghana

Water access remains one of the most pressing daily challenges for millions of Ghanaians, particularly in urban low-income communities. Any increase in water tariffs — even a modest one — can have an outsized impact on households that already spend a disproportionate share of their income on water, especially those not connected to the pipe network who rely on water vendors charging far above official tariff rates.

The GWJN's intervention is therefore timely. If the government absorbs acquisition costs through borrowing and then seeks to recover that spending through higher tariffs, the burden effectively falls on the most vulnerable. Analysts have noted that this pattern — where infrastructure financing decisions lead quietly to consumer price increases — has played out before in Ghana's utility sector.

Transparency around the deal structure will be critical. Ghanaians deserve to know how much is being paid for the plant, who is receiving the payment, and what regulatory framework will govern its operation. The GWJN is right to push for these answers before any tariff discussion begins.

• Civil society is not against the acquisition itself, but against passing costs to consumers.
• The PURC is being urged to resist tariff hikes linked to the desalination deal.
• Water access in Greater Accra remains a significant challenge for low-income households.