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A study conducted by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) shows that Ghana needs 1.49 billion dollars for the expansion of water supply to meet national demand needs by 2020. The study also indicated the country required 811 million dollars to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on water in 2015. Mr. George Amoh, Project Coordinator of the GII, disclosed this at a workshop in Sunyani on Wednesday. The workshop was attended by key actors in water sector comprising representatives of Ghana Water Company, Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), Non-Governmental Organisations and civil society groups. It was organised by the GII to educate the participants on the study, dubbed; Transparency and Integrity in Service Delivery in Africa (TISDA) Project on �Ghana�s National Water Supply Integrity Study�. Mr. Amoh disclosed that the total financial investment needed to achieve the MDG for rural water is 505 million dollars. He explained that the three-year TISDA project was launched in Ghana in 2009 with the study being conducted in three urban areas, two small towns and a rural community. The project co-ordinator mentioned the areas as Madina and Nima, Ahoe, Bekwai and Pantang and Adaklu. The study was funded by the Bill and Medina Gates Foundation through Transparency International (TI), a global civil society organisation, leading the fight against corruption. It was aimed at exploring the performance and integrity of both formal and informal water service providers. Mr. Amoh explained that under the study, most urban communities had access to pipe-borne water but some of these communities even in Accra however did not have access to water delivery. �Even for those who have access to water delivery, it is irregular and unsatisfactory�, he said, adding �yet, water tariffs are relatively high and unaffordable in poor urban communities�. The Project Co-ordinator stated that illegal connections to the main water systems and inability to collect water tariffs compounded the problems of urban water supply. �Some of the water sources have problems of taste, high level of fluoride whilst guinea worm is also prevalent in some rural communities requiring serious attention to avoid infections�, he noted. On water sector governance, Mr. Amoh expressed concern about illegal connections, meter tampering, under reporting of daily sales by vendors and illegal charges and or over-invoicing for materials for new water connections. He stressed the need to strengthen monitoring and oversight mechanisms such as oversight committees, and compliant offices indicating with regards to water supply, corruption increased the risks that resources were lost thus affecting adequate access of basic services to the poor. Mrs. Sandra S. Gakson, Project Support Assistant of GII, said the TISDA project was being implemented in Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal Kenya, Uganda and Zambia focusing on education, water and health. She said the assessment/survey phases were held in 2009-2010 whilst the project was ended with the advocacy phase in 2011. Mrs. Gakson said under the research phase, a nine-member advisory committee comprising public, private and civil society organisatons in the water sector was established to provide technical guidance and support for the project.