A sewage treatment plant will be constructed with Hungarian participation in the Ghanaian city of Kumasi, which has a population of 2.5 million, thanks to which the everyday lives of over a hundred thousand people will become healthier and more liveable.

As a result of the project, which will be realised and function using sustainable technology, in addition to improving public and environmental health, the pollution of surface and underground waters will be reduced, as well as the number of illnesses caused by polluted drinking water. The latter cause the deaths of five hundred children under five a day in Sub-Saharan Africa, primarily through typhoid, which clearly indicates the gravity of the situation.

The project has been planned and will be realised by Hungarian Pureco Ltd. and Unit International Construction Ltd; construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2019 and the first test runs are due to be held in the spring of 2020.

Managing Director of Pureco Bálint Horváth told reporters that while taking into account sustainability and local conditions, and based on pre-assessed requirements and possibilities, a Hungarian wastewater management technology will be providing a solution to the problem that not only provides an optimal purification method for the city, but also helps locals maintain and operate the system via active training and education.

Currently only 7-10% of the city’s wastewater is suitably treated, and accordingly a solution to the problem and the urgent establishment of new sewage treatment facilities has become vital for both environmental protection and public health reasons.

Mr. Horváth highlighted the fact that the construction of the sewage treatment plant has become possible thanks to the foreign economic efforts and professional and strategic support of the Hungarian Government, and as a result of Hungarian water industry expertise and experience.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Deputy State Secretary for Increasing Exports, István Joó stressed with relation to the project that the Government is handling the foreign expansion of Hungarian water industry know-how and facilitating its sharing with countries that require it as a priority, and the project being realised in Kumasi is also an important result of these efforts.

The project is being financed by an Eximbank buyer loan, meaning the bank will be providing a loan to the purchaser of the Hungarian exporter under conditions that conform to international regulations. This form of financing facilitates the appearance of Hungarian exporters on foreign markets.

CEO of Eximbank Gergely Jákli highlighted the fact that such classic export loan activities are part of the bank’s profile, thanks to which Eximbank is also able to finance the projects of Hungarian enterprises that are active within the water management sector.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)