Odumase-Krobo (E/R), Feb. 11, GNA – The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has stated that it would intensify education on its upcoming installation of prepaid metres for customers in its Krobo District.
The exercise which was supposed to have commenced in the latter part of 2021 was postponed due to some mishaps in the Yilo Krobo, and Lower Manya Krobo Municipalities.
Madam Theresa Osabutey, Acting Head of Communication at ECG, disclosing this at a stakeholders’ engagement at Odumase-Krobo said the company had designed a detailed Communication campaign to ensure customers got the needed information ahead of the prepaid metres installations.
Madam Osabutey said to get to the people, they would collaborate with the stakeholders, especially the assembly members, traditional leaders and other opinion leaders.
Outlining some of the Communication tools to be used, she indicated that stakeholder meetings would be held with identifiable groups after which it would be extended to the communities.
She said media engagement especially radio panel discussions and call-ins would also be carried out, in addition to having community education and customer clinics.
She explained that the clinics would bring ECG officials together with their computers close to the people to help address their billing challenges for reconciliation.
The Acting Head of Communication further noted that the communities would be demarcated for the installation, therefore the metre demonstrations would be carried out according to the installation plan to ensure that sensitization was done a week ahead of the installation Community by community.
The ECG has announced that pre-paid metres would be installed for its customers in the Company’s Krobo District area which covers seven political areas.
Mr Anokye Abrebese, Director for Customer Services, ECG, on his part announced that the replacement of existing credit metres to pre-paid ones was free adding however that new services and acquisition of additional metres during the installation period would attract a fee.
Mr Abrebese explained that the bills that had been generated through the metre reading exercise carried out in December 2021 would not be put onto the pre-paid as done when credit metres were replaced.
He said Management had decided to put a human face to the payment of the existing bills which had accumulated from 2018 to date, therefore a decision to give a two-year grace period for customers to pay in instalment.
He added that customers would still be required to pay their bills alongside the debt while awaiting their turn for the pre-paid installation.
Touching on the bills generated, he said customers after receiving their bills should visit the ECG’s offices for their statement to get the details of their consumptions.
The Director of Customer Services said customers with concerns could visit its Somanya office and Nuaso cashpoint for reconciliation.
He further said it was their hope that customers would voluntarily pay their bills, adding that revenue collectors would also go round to ensure payments.
He stressed however that customers who refuse to pay their bills after being given all the needed opportunities would have their services terminated to prevent further consumption.
Mr Emmanuel Akinie, Tema Regional ECG General Manager, on his part said under the ECG regulations, category A and urban cities must use pre-paid metres, adding that the Krobo District was a category A area and therefore their turn to receive the metres.
Touching on other issues, he said the revenue protection team of the ECG during the recent metre reading exercise visited 5,776 metres out of which 25 illegalities were uncovered.
He said out of the 25 uncovered, 17 reported to their offices and had been billed a total of GHs39,900 out of which 29,000 had been paid.
He added that 414 metres were uncovered as not captured, this he noted were being screened to see if they were genuine Self Help Electrification Project (SHEP) metres, after which they would go through the process to be billed.
GNA