The Water Resources Commission (WRC) was established by an Act of Parliament (Act 522 of 1996) with the mandate to regulate and manage Ghana’s Water Resources and co-ordinate government policies in relation to them. The Act stipulates that ownership and control of all water resources are vested in the President on behalf of the people, and clearly defines the WRC as the overall body responsible for water resources management in Ghana. The Commission, which provides a forum for integration and collaboration of different interests, is composed of the major stakeholders involved in the water sector.

The responsibilities of WRC, which are spelt out in Section 2 (2) of the Act, can be categorized as:

• Processing of water rights and permits;
• Planning for water resources development and management with river basins (catchments) as the natural units of planning
• Collating, storing and disseminating data and information on water resources in Ghana;
• Monitoring and assessing activities and programmes for the utilisation and conservation of water resources.

In practice, WRC seeks to achieve the goals and pursue its responsibilities through:

• Adopting the process of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the management and regulation of the nation’s water    resources (including shared resources with our riparian neighbours).
• Establishing an adequate and cost effective organization, which can assist and guide the Government of Ghana in order to achieve the goals of IWRM and monitor the achievements.
• Establishing good working relations with all stakeholders in the water sector.
• Inviting existing institutions and the private sector to participate, through  outsourcing and contracting of specific tasks, in establishing its tools and procedures.

Highlights of WRC’s programme performance can be found in its Annual Report