The Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited (GWL), Adam Mutawakilu, has disclosed that more than half of the water produced by the company is lost due to weak infrastructure and illegal connections.
In an interview on January 13, 2026, Mr. Mutawakilu explained that Ghana’s daily water demand is estimated at 350 million gallons.
However, current production levels are significantly lower.
“Our daily demand is around 350 million gallons. Ideally, that is the amount of water we should be producing each day. At the moment, we are only able to produce about 214 million gallons, leaving a shortfall of approximately 136 million gallons every day,” he said.
He noted that the situation is even more challenging in Accra, which accounts for the majority of the country’s water demand.
“In Accra alone, daily demand is about 210 million gallons, but we produce only 137 million gallons. Since Accra represents about 60 to 70 percent of national demand, the city faces a deficit of roughly 73 million gallons each day,” he explained.
According to Mr. Mutawakilu, a major cause of the water shortage is the high level of losses within the transmission and distribution system.
He described much of the existing infrastructure as old and fragile.
“Our transmission and distribution systems are another major challenge. Much of the infrastructure is weak and outdated. In addition, there are many illegal connections, people use water without paying for it. As a result, about 52 percent of the water we produce cannot be accounted for,” he said.
