With customer arrears climbing from GHS1.6 billion in 2023 to GHS2.1 billion in 2024, Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has rolled out a Revenue Enhancement Team to tackle non-revenue water and strengthen its cash flow.

The Managing Director of GWCL, Adam Mutawakilu, said the new team forms a critical pillar of the company’s broader reform agenda aimed at strengthening revenue mobilisation and safeguarding infrastructure investments.

According to the company’s audited financial statements, outstanding customer arrears across all customer categories rose from GHS1.6 billion in 2023 to GH¢S.1 billion in 2024, a development that continues to strain cash flow and limit GWCL’s capacity to procure essential inputs, maintain infrastructure and expand water services.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Revenue Enhancement Team, Mr Mutawakilu noted that unpaid bills directly undermine the company’s operations, stressing that water production depends on costly but unavoidable inputs.

“Without chemicals, we cannot treat water; without power, we cannot pump.

When bills are not paid, it becomes difficult to maintain plants, repair pumps, replace pipelines and extend water services to new communities,” he said.

He further explained that the situation is worsened by high levels of non-revenue water, including losses from leakages, illegal connections and ageing infrastructure, which result in wasted treated water, energy and revenue.

Mr Mutawakilu added that addressing non-revenue water and improving revenue collection are essential to sustaining a reliable water supply, particularly as rising operational costs, climate variability and rapid urbanisation continue to place pressure on the country’s water production systems.

The Revenue Enhancement Team is expected to spearhead billing enforcement, debt recovery and system efficiency measures as GWCL works towards financial sustainability and improved service delivery nationwide