Assessing the viability of a ''water shop franchise business'' to supply safe and affordable water to selected locations within the Accra Metropolis, Ga East & Ga West Districts
Date
2011-04
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Abstract
Access to potable water is among the major challenges faced by developing countries
in both urban and rural communities. Most residents rely on unhygienic water due to the
public distributor's inability to ensure consistent supply. Consequently, there is the need
for individuals, groups, institutions, governments and multinational companies to find
ways to curb the problem of inaccessibility, unaffordability and scarcity of potable water
which leads to water-borne diseases in Africa specifically in the rural and urban areas of
Ghana.
This study examined the the viability of a water shop fanchise business model to
supply safe and affordable water to residents in selected locations within the Accra
Metropolis and Ga East and West districts. The study was mainly conducted in few
selected locations in Accra Metropolis and Ga East and West districts where potable
water is believed to be scarce, unaffordable, inaccessible or too expensive for the urban
poor. The study aimed at understanding the needs and challenges faced by local
producers and consumers, and then examined the viability of the franchise business
model by conducting a market sizing and analyzing the financial projections.
The findings revealed that although most residents in the Accra Metropolis and
Ga East and West districts are connected to the GWCL distribution system, most
residents do not get consistent water supply. As such, they rely on other alternatives
such as bottled water, sachet water and water tanker vendors for domestic consumption.
However, a site visit to some local production firms revealed that production is done
under unhygienic practices such as unreliable water sources, improper filtration and
storage of water. There is a need for both drinking water and bulk water in Greater
Accra Region region specifically in the Accra Metropolis and Ga East and West districts.
Further details are outlined in the main report.
Description
Applied project submitted to the Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University College, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, April 2011
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Applied Project
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Keywords
Ghana, water shop, small and medium enterprise (SME)