The Millennium Development Authority, MiDA, has inaugurated a Utility Geographic Information System at a cost of US$8.5 million at the project office of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in Accra to support the company’s operations.
The project is part of modernising the Utility Operations Activity, one of four project activities making up the ECG Financial and Operational Turnaround Project (EFOT).
The utility GIS provides a digital platform and tools for ECG to plan, manage and efficiently operate its network to meet global utility management standards.
With the GIS, ECG’s operations are expected to improve since the company currently relies on manual and stand -alone computerized systems to locate and identify assets and customers in the field and to design, construct and operate it’s network for planning and service delivery purposes.
This approach to service delivery and operations is time consuming and inefficient.
In a speech delivered on her behalf at the inauguration of the GIS, Board Chair of MiDA, Prof Yaa Ntiamoah-Baidu said while the BSPs and LV Bifurcation projects have focused on improving the quality of power supply and customer experience, the GIS project supports ECG to become operationally more efficient.
“This Utility GIS will provide a digital platform and tools for ECG to plan, manage and efficiently operate its network to meet global utility management standards.
“ECG’s services to the customer will improve from the reliability and quality of the power supplied to the time it takes to connect new applicants, read and deliver electricity bills, and respond to customer concerns,” she explained.
The System will also enable ECG to increase the efficiency with which it collects its revenues, reduce technical and commercial losses, and plan and construct its networks.
“We on the MiDA Board are hopeful that the System will be put to use and that the expected benefits from this massive investment will be realized,” she stressed.
Prof Ntiamoah-Baidu expressed MiDA’s gratitude to the United States Government for their US$316m investment, which has been provided through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), to improve Ghana’s power sector.
Board Chairman of ECG, Mr Keli Gadzekpo who outlined the benefits of GIS commended MiDA, MCC and Government of Ghana for the continuous support to ECG.
He said ECG contributed about US$1.5 million towards the project.
Ghana’s Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh in a speech read for him by Mr Solomon Adjetey, Director for Power at the Ministry noted that with the Ghana Power Compact II, the country has witnessed important projects such as the Meter Management Systems (MMS), Construction of Substations / Bulk Supply Points(BSPs)(Pokuase and Kasoa), the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) amongst others which have enhanced the reliability of electricity distribution.
The Minister noted that the GIS would help ECG attain an accurate asset inventory with electric poles, transformers, cable lines, substations and other electric utility assets if properly managed.
Dr. Matthew Opoku charged ECG to address a plethora of challenges faced in the power distribution, including poor customer data handling/management, unsatisfactory responsiveness to customer complaints, high level of distribution losses , inadequate manpower to ensure efficient operations especially in remote areas and low collection rate contributing to recurrent financial losses.
Dr. Samuel Kobina DeSouza, Board Member of MiDA
Mr. Solomon Adjetey, Director for Power at the Ministry of Energy
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com