The Executive Secretary (ES) of the Water Resources Commission (WRC), Professor Seidu Alidu, held a strategic engagement with staff as part of efforts to promote transparency, collaboration, and shared responsibility in advancing the Commission’s mandate.
In his remarks, Prof. Alidu emphasized five core pillars for strengthening the institution: capacity building, leadership, efficiency, accountability and resource mobilization. He acknowledged existing challenges within the Commission but stressed that addressing them requires collective effort. “These challenges cannot be solved by one person alone. It will take collaboration, cooperation, patience, and commitment from all of us,” he said.
As part of his vision, Prof. Alidu introduced a five-point agenda underpinning the Commission’s new five-year strategic plan, anchored by the acronym CLEAR. Central to this vision is capacity building, which includes conducting a nationwide staff audit to identify strengths, gaps, and areas for improvement. He highlighted the need for enhanced recruitment processes, targeted skills development, and continuous training to equip staff for both short and long-term goals.
On leadership, the Executive Secretary underscored its critical role in institutional growth. He expressed appreciation to the former Acting Executive Secretary and the management team for their dedication and pledged to build on their foundation. “Leadership is key to driving our growth, and I will continue to support the vision laid out while working hard to achieve the goals of our strategic plan,” he added.
Addressing operational efficiency, Prof. Alidu stressed the need to streamline processes and adopt digital tools to improve service delivery. He advocated for the use of digital platforms for sampling, permit issuance, dam registration, and project management, among other areas.
“Efficiency must become part of our culture,” he said. “We must digitize our operations to address the challenges we face, and ensure that relevant data and services are accessible and transparent.”
He also called for enhanced accountability and relevance, proposing the establishment of an institutional feedback system. This would allow the public to access vital information on the Commission’s website and provide input, thereby strengthening public trust and engagement.
On resource mobilization, Prof. Alidu emphasized the need to reduce over-reliance on government funding and explore alternative sources to support the Commission’s goals. He indicated that, “we need to diversify our resources beyond what we get from GoG in order to achieve our vision.” This, he noted, would involve building strategic partnerships, improving internal revenue generation mechanisms, and pursuing donor and private sector collaborations.
In addition, Prof. Alidu emphasized the importance of recognizing staff achievements. “we must reward hard work to set an example for others,” he noted, while also announcing plans to develop a comprehensive gender policy to promote equality and inclusivity within the Commission.
In closing, he thanked staff for their warm reception and expressed his commitment to working in partnership with them to achieve the vision of the Water Resources Commission.
