By
Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA
Accra, Feb. 18, GNA
– Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia Tuesday launched the Electricity Company
of Ghana (ECG) Mobile App, dubbed: “ECG Power” to enable customers to buy
electricity and pay bills via the mobile money platforms at their optimal
convenience.
The Mobile
Application was designed by ECG’s Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) staff, which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store with an android
or any smart phone.
Currently, 2.8
million out of the 3.8 million customers could access the application,
representing 73 per cent of the Company’s customer base and expected to
increase to 92 per cent by the end of this year.
For non-smart phone
users, they can also access the service on their mobile phones by dialling *226# for improved customer
satisfaction, complement other payment options and enhance ECG’s technical and
commercial operations.
The App would help
the utility service provider collect electricity bills with much convenience.
Vice President
Bawumia said the designing of the app was in tandem with the President’s vision
of leveraging on technology to improve public service delivery and transform
the economy.
He lauded the Board
and Management for the initiative and pledged government’s support towards
improving customer service satisfaction to accelerate socio-economic
development.
Vice President
Bawumia said the energy sector formed a critical component of the economy and
believed that solving the ECG’s revenue collection issue would invariably help
in resolving the energy challenges of the country.
“We’re here to
celebrate innovation and ingenuity. I’m here to launch the ECG Mobile App,
which will bring customer satisfaction and convenience to millions of customers
of the ECG,” he said.
“This is very
historic in the sense that ECG is employing technology to tackle two major
challenges – first, to improve power distribution to its customers, and
secondly, to address the most serious challenge of mobilising funds from power
use effectively and efficiently.”
“With this app, even
at 3 am in the morning you just pick up your mobile phone and dial it to credit
your electricity metre account and have power immediately.”
Dr Bawumia told the
gathering that he had been informed that ECG would deploy additional 7,000
smart metres this year to improve customer coverage from 73 per cent to about
92 to 93 per cent and lauded Management for its innovation and ingenuity.
“I always say that
the energy sector is the Achilles Hills of the economy and if you did not
handle this sector well, it can create a big problem for your economy.”
He urged the Company
to continue applying artificial intelligence and remote sensors in its revenue
collection drive and revealed that the utility service provider would, this
year, implement a system to prevent power theft.
Dr Bawumia urged the
Public Relations Unit to intensify public education on the new app, saying; “We
look forward for more innovation and productivity enhancing measures to improve
efficiency and help reduce the cost of electricity to Ghanaians”.
Mr Kwame
Agyeman-Budu, the Managing Director of ECG, in a brief remark, said anyone who
provided useful information leading to the arrest of a power thief will receive
six per cent of the bill generated from the culprit.
He said the mobile
app would improve payment of bills, fault detection, reduce the cost of power
and ultimately enhance customer satisfaction.
Mr William Owireku
Adu, a Deputy Minister of Energy, urged ECG’s Management to improve its
monitoring system to curb revenue leakages and power theft.
There was a video
demonstration on how to download the app on Google Play Store for use at the
customer’s convenience.
GNA