The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to recover GH¢2.5 million owed by public institutions for water supplied to them within 30 days.
The directive followed concerns over the agency’s failure to recover a larger portion of outstanding debts.
CWSA told the Committee on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, that its customers owed GH¢15,349,706, accumulated over about nine years.
The agency said it had recovered GH¢1,158,093 of the outstanding amount.
The Committee described the recovery as inadequate and directed CWSA to pursue GH¢2.5 million owed by public institutions within 30 days.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Abena Osei Asare, said the directive was non-negotiable and instructed the agency to pursue the identified institutional debtors.
Figures presented to the Committee showed that 72 Ghana Police Service institutions owed GH¢235,898, while 60 hospitals owed GH¢472,970.29.
Fifty-six senior high schools owed GH¢978,280.25, while 47 other schools owed about GH¢186,000.
The agency also reported debts owed by government agencies and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The Committee questioned why the debts had been allowed to accumulate despite measures introduced by CWSA to improve revenue collection.
CWSA officials said the agency had issued demand notices, undertaken revenue mobilisation exercises, installed prepaid meters and introduced electronic payment systems.
They also explained that part of the outstanding debt had been inherited from community-managed water systems and had accumulated over several years.
Some of the inherited debts, they said, remained unvalidated.
The Committee challenged the explanation and questioned why unvalidated debt figures had been presented to the Auditor-General for audit.
The PAC also directed the sector Minister to use her office to pursue debts owed by larger public institutions.
The Committee said the GH¢15 million outstanding debt should not appear in the 2026 audit report, signalling its expectation that CWSA would make substantial progress in recovering the money.
