The Water Resources Commission (WRC), in line with its mandate, is committed to ensuring that upstream developments do not harm Ghana’s interest downstream. It has accordingly developed a position, in liaison with the parent ministry (Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing), to initiate dialogue to establish a permanent mechanism for cooperation in the development of those river basins it shares with its neighbours.

Most of the initiatives that have been taken on transboundary issues focus mainly on cooperation in the Volta basin. The following list presents the major initiatives that have been undertaken or are ongoing:

»        The Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, through the WRC provided technical inputs towards the development of a regional action plan for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) that was adopted by the Ministers of Water in the sub-region. As a follow up, a permanent structure for the co-ordination and monitoring of IWRM in the West African sub-region under the auspices of ECOWAS has been established with offices located in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

»        The Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana, through UNEP/GEF support assisted the six countries sharing the Volta basin to prepare a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) of the basin and a Strategic Action Plan (SAP), which formed the basis for the formulation of a GEF Project Proposal. A Steering Committee comprising the Ministers of Environment and Water Resources of the riparian countries guided the process that ended with GEF’s approval.

»        As a follow up to the GEF Project, the West African Interim Secretariat for IWRM (SISCOA-GIRE) located in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, recommended the establishment of a Volta Basin Technical Committee (VBTC) on which all the countries will be represented. One of the main aspects of the mandate of the proposed VBTC will be to work towards the establishment of a Volta Basin Management Structure. The now established permanent coordination structure is expected to follow up on this issue.

»        The West African Technical Advisory Committee (WATAC) of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) has brought together and supported representatives of the Water Resources Commission of Ghana and the DGIRH of Burkina Faso at the technical level to advance consultations and dialogue. The objective is to bring about joint management of the shared river basins for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

»        A 3-year (2004 - 2006) project for improving Water Governance in the Volta River Basin (PAGEV) sponsored by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), has been designed towards improving water governance in the basin with a focus on Ghana and Burkina Faso where 85% of the basin surface is located. The project would necessarily feed into the GEF led project to ensure coordinated efforts in the management of the Volta water resources.

»        From a research perspective, a number of major research activities are underway or planned in the near future. The GLOWA-Volta Project led by the Centre for Development Research (ZEF) of the University of Bonn and funded by the German Government, is active in both Ghana and Burkina Faso conducting valuable studies. Two other major research activities are planned by CGIAR in the Volta basin i.e. the Assessment of Water in Agriculture and the Challenge Programme on Water for Food.