The Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Dr Shafic Suleman, has commended the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for its improved revenue collection in the first quarter of 2025.
He made this known during a visit to the Ashanti West Region of ECG as part of his regional tour in the Ashanti Region.
The visit, which took place on Friday, 4th April 2025, saw the Executive Secretary and his entourage from the PURC interact with the ECG Management of the Ashanti West Region.
It formed part of a broader initiative to familiarise himself with the Commission’s operations nationwide and to engage with stakeholders in the utility sector.
Addressing the management of the Ashanti West Region, Dr Suleman expressed appreciation to the ECG management for honouring his invitation, with all District and Regional Managers in attendance.
The PURC Executive Secretary highlighted the significant strides ECG has made in revenue collection since the beginning of the year, with consistently excellent monthly performance.
He urged ECG to continue working hard to gather enough revenue to sustain the electricity supply chain.
“Consistently, ECG has collected almost GHS 1.4 billion every month since the beginning of the year, and that is a step in the right direction to keep the lights on,” he stated.
He added that, as Chairman of the Cash Waterfall Mechanism, he would ensure continuous cash flow to sustain ECG’s operations. This follows recent engagements with the Energy Minister to upgrade ECG’s status under the Cash Waterfall Mechanism.
According to Dr Suleman, the Commission aims to shift the narrative towards a more collaborative approach between the Utilities and the Commission, fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between Utilities and Customers.
Dr Suleman also indicated his desire to deepen relationships with ECG at both the Regional and District levels.
“The Commission will form a WhatsApp platform to enhance communication with stakeholders such as utilities, customers, the Regional Minister, Commission representatives, security agencies, among others,” he added.
He further stated, “The Commission is also ready to partner with utility companies, including ECG, to go after recalcitrant customers to ensure the right thing is done.”
Alhaji Jabaru Abukari, Director of Regional Operations & Consumer Services at PURC, appealed to staff to exercise patience when dealing with customers and urged customers to fulfill their responsibility of paying for electricity consumed to sustain utility operations.
On his part, George Amoah, General Manager of the Ashanti West Region, welcomed the Commission’s collaborative approach and pledged the Region’s support in realising the Executive Secretary’s vision.
He also called for stronger regulations to deter individuals from importing or purchasing meters from sources other than ECG and NEDCO.
“At the moment, the LI 2413 is not punitive enough and does not clearly grant ECG exclusive rights to import meters. As a result, some individuals exploit this loophole to import fake meters and distribute them to customers, which increases the company’s losses.
“We humbly appeal for PURC to collaborate with the Energy Commission to enact stronger regulations that will deter individuals from importing meters, punish customers who install such meters, and criminalize illegal connections to help reduce our losses,” he said.
Dr Suleman was accompanied by a delegation including Alhaji Jabaru Abukari, Director for Regional Operations and Consumer Services; Dr. Eric Kofi Obutey, Director for Research and Corporate Affairs; Dr. Robert Tia Abdulai Aziz,z Head of Corporate Affairs; Reginald Osei Asibey, Finance Officer; Ms. Fauzia Tanko, Secretary to the Executive Secretary; and the Management of PURC Ashanti Region.