Ghana: Accra West ECG Intensifies Efforts To Deal With Fake Meters

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Ltd, Accra West Region, has intensified its campaign drive to crack down on users of fake meters with the launching of a campaign dubbed: ‘No to Fake Meters’.

The campaign, which is in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, follows a pilot programme undertaken at Adeiso and surrounding areas in the Eastern Region in November 2022.

The purpose of the ‘No to fake meters’ campaign, according to the Company, is to identify and arrest the syndicates behind the distribution of such meters and to stop the bleeding of the company’s revenue.

Speaking to the media, the Regional Revenue Protection Manager and team leader of the campaign, Dr Mark Owusu Ansah described the fake meters as toys.

“These fake meters are only heavy empty cases that look authentic at a glance,” explaining further that “there is no mechanism inside the meters to measure the energy consumed. A bar directly connects the output and input terminals, creating a direct connection in the device.

“This means that the customer uses electricity without paying anything at all, leading to increased losses for ECG”.

Communities identified for the exercise include Daman, Sakyikrom, Amoakrom, Duadekye, Ntoaso, Daaman, Akuamu, Nkyenkyen and Amanfrom.

Last year, the West Accra Region recovered GH¢ 10,363,755 from 1,900 customers who were apprehended for engaging in various forms of illegal connections.

These customers were surcharged for the power they used while some were tried in court for stealing power.

Dr. Owusu Ansah revealed that this year, about 20,000 customers’ accounts would be remotely monitored to identify prepaid customers who do not purchase credits.

These customers would be visited for a physical assessment of their meters.

The West Accra Regional General Manager of ECG, Ing Ebenezer Ghunney warned customers to desist from using power without paying for it.

He noted that the Company continues to invest heavily in the power distribution network and charged customers to abstain from stealing power, saying, this deprives the company of revenue and affects the quality of the power supply.

The West Accra Region has eight operational districts, viz. Ablekuma, Achimota, Amasaman, Bortianor, Dansoman, Kaneshie, Korlebu and Nsawam.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com