By Benjamin A. Commey
Accra, Oct 07, GNA — The Accra West region of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has made a passionate call to Municipal Chief Executives (MCEs) to help protect vital assets of the Company by ending the incessant encroachment on its utility corridors.
The Company said that would enable it to provide better service to the people.
Mr Ebenezer Ghunney, General Manager, Accra West ECG, who made the call at a meeting with some MCEs in Accra, said attacks on vital assets, including building on vital utility corridors of the Company was negatively affecting its operations.
He said: “The whole business starts from the installation of our network, so as you know, electricity travels to customers through cables and conductors and conductors tend to be placed on poles. Now, this requires space within the community space along our roads, and we sometimes have challenges with the use of the utility corridor when people build into the utility corridor.”
“So we require collaboration and assistance from them (MCEs) to ensure that such zoning issues are reduced to the minimum,” he added.
The meeting was aimed at establishing strong partnership and collaboration between the service provider and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) for a better service delivery.
It was attended by some MCEs in the Accra West region, including; Mr Samuel Adjei Tawiah, MCE for Korle Klottey; Mr George Bray, MCE for Ablekuma West; Madam Elizabeth Kaakie Mann, MCE for Ga East; Mr Simons Sekyim, MCE for Ga North, as well as ECG district officers and some staff of ECG.
The Accra West ECG is one of eight operational areas of the ECG Limited.
It serves a total customer population of 620,687 in the region, including areas such as Ablekuma, Dansoman, Korle-Bu, Amasaman, Kaneshie and Nsawam.
Mr Ghunney also noted that fostering a strong collaborations with MMDAs was key to curbing the frictions that sometimes arose between community members and the service provider.
“The fact of the matter is that we are performing a service for our customers, we are providing a service that is essential for the socio-economic development of the nation.
“Now the MCEs are community leaders who form a very good bridge to the members within the community. There are some challenges we have, which come up based on the nature of our business and these challenges sometimes involve community members. So we believe that we would require the highest level of collaboration with the MCEs to basically help us provide the best of services we can,” he said.
The General Manager bemoaned the impact of illegal connections indicating that the phenomenon was affecting operations and revenue generation of the Company.
It is estimated that the Company loses about GH¢3.2 billion annually through power theft and non-payment of bills.
Between January and September 2021, the Accra West ECG alone lost GH¢3.9 million through illegal connections.
Mr Ghunney entreated the MCEs to assist the Company to end the problem.
He also warned the public against purchasing fake meters, which he said had infiltrated the market.
“Anyone doing something like this is actually damaging our ability to earn revenue for our nation. It’s a crime,” he said.
The public, he said, should also engage the Company before installing any meter as well as streetlights to avoid interruptions in its system.
Speaking in an interview with the media on the side-lines of the meeting, Mr Samuel Adjei Tawiah, the MCE for Korle Klottey, welcomed the collaborations, noting that it would inform their decision making in future planning.
“I will meet with my Directors at the Assembly so that we know how we can collaborate with them, invite them to come and educate us even at our town hall meetings,” he said.
GNA