Accra: The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has called for an integrated approach to Ghana's water, environmental, food, and health challenges. Dr. Kwadwo Ansong Asante, Acting Director of CSIR, emphasized the need for collaboration among researchers, policymakers, industry, academia, and development partners due to the interconnected nature of these challenges.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Asante delivered this message during his welcome address at the CSIR-Water Research Institute's (WRI) Mid-Year Review 2026 in Accra. The three-day review, held from August 11 to 13, centers around the theme: 'Water-Environment-Food-Health Nexus: Building Resilience for the Future.' The event aims to bring together researchers and stakeholders to assess research outcomes, identify challenges, and propose practical solutions to issues impacting water, the environment, food, and health.
Dr. Asante highlighted that water quality directly influences public health, environmental sustainability, agricultural productivity, and community resilience. The review serves as an opportunity to share research findings that could support sustainable water-resource management, climate resilience, environmental protection, public health, and food security. He underscored the importance of using research outcomes to inform national policies and decision-making beyond academic discussions, expressing hope that the Institute's findings would stimulate high-level discussions and policy decisions to ensure public safety, environmental protection, and job creation.
Dr. Anthony Karikari, Chairman of the review, stressed that water security should be treated as a matter of life and national responsibility. He pointed out the severe pressure on the country's rivers due to pollution from illegal mining and the resulting challenges faced by water-treatment plants. Dr. Karikari also cited unpredictable climate patterns and rapid urbanization as additional pressures on Ghana's water resources and infrastructure. He called for stronger enforcement of environmental regulations, nature-based restoration, smarter technologies, and capable institutions to deliver sustainable solutions. He urged that the review should lead to concrete actions to protect the country's water resources for future generations.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the CSIR-WRI is one of the 13 institutes under the CSIR, tasked with researching all aspects of water resources and providing scientific and technical information, services, and strategies for sustainable development and management of water resources for Ghana's socio-economic advancement. The Institute's research spans six technical divisions, including surface water and climate change, groundwater and geoscience, environmental chemistry and sanitation engineering, fisheries and aquaculture, environmental biology, biotechnology and health, and biomedical and public health research.