Twelve communities in Ghana are expected to benefit from the Safe Water for Africa (SWA) Partnership with the provision of safe, clean drinking water by the end of June, this year.

By the end of the year, about 25 communities in Nigeria and six in Liberia would also benefit from the partnership.

This was contained in a joint statement signed by Mr Philippe Ayivor, Public Affairs and Communications Director, Cocoa-Cola Equatorial Africa Franchise and Nana Yaa Ofori-Atta, Head of Corporate Affairs, Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL) on behalf of the partners at a CEO Invitational Breakfast in Accra on Thursday.

It was organized by the SWA partners to appeal to others in the corporate world who work and live in West Africa, to join in contributing towards the provision of safe, clean drinking water for deprived communities in the Region.

“Additional funding is required to enable SWA reach and touch the lives of a wider community of Africans. Partners can choose specific countries and communities where their funding should be directed.

“All contributions go directly to provide sustainable access to safe, clean drinking water. In Ghana the partnership is appealing for funding to achieve its goal of reaching 50 communities by 2013.”

The statement said, by 2015 the partnership would be expanded to reach up to five million beneficiaries across six countries and 500 communities in Africa.

Last year, Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF), Diageo plc, Diageo Foundation, GGBL, WaterHealth International (WHI) and International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, launched the SWA Partnership.

This was an innovative collaboration to bring safe, clean drinking water to communities across Africa with an initial focus on Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone. By the end of 2013, SWA aims to bring safe, clean drinking water to up to two million people in West Africa.

The partnership, plans to fulfil its ambition of building over 200 Water Health Centres (WHCs) in the four West African countries. In Ghana, the partnership aims at building 50 of the centres across the country providing up to 500,000 people with access to safe, clean drinking water.

On funding, the statement said the partners aimed at providing a grant of 10 million dollars to WHI to build the centres. In addition, they seek to raise an another 10 million dollars in equity and loans to supplement the grant.

“To date the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, Diageo, the Diageo Foundation and GGBL have contributed 2.5 million dollars and 2.0 million dollars respectively in grants, “it added.

The statement said since the launch, SWA had brought safe, clean drinking water to Pakro and Adeiso, both farming communities in the Eastern Region and Nsuta in the Ashanti Region all funded by the Coca-Cola Foundation and The Coca-Cola Equatorial Bottling Company and built by WHI.

Work has also begun on an additional Coca-Cola site at Dominase in the Ashanti Region, at Ashiaman in the Greater Accra Region, in Akwapim-Mampong in the Eastern Region. Two sites in Volu and Ziope in the Volta Region and other two centres at Makango and Kpembe in the Northern Region would be built by Diageo, Diageo Foundation, GGBL and WHI under the SWA partnership.**