Ghana’s southern electricity distribution company, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has taken steps to pursue its customers who are engaging in illegal activities including power theft.
The company recorded a commercial losses of 26. 20 % in 2020 and this management of the company believes is worrying.
To deal with the issue, ECG on Tuesday, September 14,2021 inaugurated a Revenue Protection Task force under its Revenue Protection Division at the company’s head office in Accra, capital of Ghana.
The company has procured brand new vehicles to facilitate the movement of the Revenue Protection Task force.
The task force is nine teams with four in each group.
Speaking at the inauguration of the task force Managing Director of ECG, said : “Our losses for the past 3 years have hovered around 20% till 2020, when we realised a rise in the percentage to 26.20% ”
Mr Agyeman-Budu who said the commercial losses is the major bane of the company noted that Covid-19 which had impact on all sectors of the global economy also had expression in the Electricity Company of Ghana.
According to him, the outbreak of Covid-19 which led to lock-downs and implementation of shift systems at workplaces is partly to be blamed for the high commercial losses in 2020.
Touching on the role of the task force, Mr Agyeman- Budu said , relying on data, the task force be visiting the premises of customers to check the integrity of meters and help address illegalities in our operational areas.
“They will be given the needed resources to enable them to undertake house to house monitoring of meters , physical inspection of metering installations and connections in our regions and districts,” Mr Agyeman-Budu said.
“We will publicise the activities of the task force by naming and shaming offenders across traditional and digital media platforms to create awareness of the exercise and generate the necessary sensitisation to make customers do the right thing and avoid illegal connection” he added.
The task force is expected to inspect 220,000.
Mr Agyeman-Budu revealed that ECG was able to recover GHS 50million.
The Minister for Energy Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh said he confident that the Board and the Management will give their full support to the Revenue Protection Task Force to enable them to achieve their mandate without fail
“We all need to do the right thing to make it a better place. I will plead with the public to cooperate with the task force during the delivery of its mandate. I believe that collectively, with a single purpose of mind and will, we can be part of a success story for the ECG,” he said.
Source: https:// energynewsafrica.com