The Tema Region of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) spent a combined GH¢13,079,669 replacing transformers over the last two quarters, with vandalism, unauthorised electrical interference by community members, and vehicle collisions identified as the primary causes of the losses.
Ing. Ankomah Emmanuel, General Manager of ECG’s Tema Region, disclosed the figures during a media engagement at the ECG Nungua District Office. He said GH¢9,379,765 was spent replacing 32 transformers in the fourth quarter of 2025, while a further GH¢3,699,903 went into replacing 22 transformers in the first quarter of 2026, bringing the total to 54 units over six months.
Ing. Ankomah cited three main drivers of the replacements. The first is deliberate vandalism, where individuals damage transformers to the point of rendering them unserviceable, forcing outright replacement rather than repair.
The second cause he described as particularly worrying: community members switching phases on electrical installations without authorisation. “Some community members decide to switch phases on their own,” he said. “This causes overloads on the other phase, which sometimes causes the transformer to burn.” He warned that such interference is unlawful and that the company retains the right to prosecute anyone found responsible.
Vehicle collisions with transformer installations constitute the third cause, with Ing. Ankomah noting that impact damage from road accidents frequently results in irreparable harm to the equipment.
The General Manager called on communities and their leaders to actively protect ECG infrastructure, stressing that stable power supply depends on the integrity of the equipment serving each area. He also expressed appreciation to community leaders who promptly alert ECG to outages, crediting their cooperation with enabling faster fault response times.
