The immediate-past US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson, has indicated that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is losing a whopping amount of $8 million per week.
He said the money is being lost in the area of revenue collection which has reportedly been one of ECG’s major challenges over the years.
Mr. Jackson made this known while addressing the Ghanaian media recently in Accra about the key activities the US Government undertook in Ghana during his two-and-half-year tenure.
According to him, even though there has been some level of reliable electricity supply to homes and industries across the country over the last three years, ECG continues to lose huge amounts of money weekly apparently due to weak management regime.
He stated emphatically “as all of you know, the power supply has become much more reliable over the last three years. But there is still a question of affordability, and ECG is still losing approximate $8 million a week.”
“It’s clearly not sustainable,” he said, adding that things could improve at the electricity company if a private company takes over.
Mr. Jackson stated that “I think with different management and new infrastructure which will go with it, and huge infusion of cash both from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, part of the US Government and the private sector investor, we can see the number of people with reliable power going up and cost coming down.”
The envoy prioritized the energy sector during his term in Ghana.
Private participation
He expressed the hope that Parliament would approve the management of ECG by a private entity from the Philippines, saying “I am very excited about this.”
In March, this year, the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) confirmed the receipt of proposals from two companies for the concession for the management, operation and investment in electrical distribution business of the ECG.
The Consortia comprise BXC Ghana and Manila Electric Company (MERALCO).
The move to allow private participation in the operation of ECG forms part of five activities under the ECG Financial and Operational Turnaround Project of the Ghana Power Compact Programme.
Assurance
Some staff of ECG have been agitating over the move, fearing the possibility of losing their jobs in the event that a private company takes over management of the company.
But Ambassador Jackson reiterated that the workers have been given a five-year employment assurance under the new arrangement.
Meanwhile, BUSINESS GUIDE has gathered that the private takeover of ECG would take place in February 2019.
Source: Daily Guide
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If revenue collection is the problem identified, why not correct it and move on instead of selling it out. Tell Ghanaians the truth.
The dark days ahead with Nana and his team of 'experts'.
from where did the ambassador got his figures. He should tell us the SYSTEM AND COMMERCIAL LOSES incurred by the private companies that run electricity distribution in the USA state by state. nansins....***barred word***
I FEEL SO SAD TO CALL MYSELF AS COMING FROM GHANA. KWAME NKRUMAH BUILT THIS COUNTRY WITH GREAT LOVE AND COMMITMENT WE THE PRESENT GENERATION HAS SCARTED EVERYTHING. WE HAVE SOLD EVERYTHING AND NOW OUR OWN ELECTRICITY COMPANY IS BEING GIVEN OUT SO WE SIT AT THE BACK SEAT AND WATCH IT BEING RUN FOR US. THE PROBLEM IS WE CANT COLLECT REVENUE. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT THE US AMBASSADOR IS TELLING US THE THEY ARE TAKING OVER SINCE WE CANT COLLECT REVENUE THAT IS THE ONLY REASON. FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS AND OVER WE HAVE TRAINED PEOPLE FROM THE UNIVERSITIES AND POLY YET WE DONT HAVE THE MEN AND WOMEN TO THINK AND PROTECT OUR PROPERTIES EVERYTHING IS JUST GETTING OUT OF HAND IS THE BLACK MAN CAPABLE OF MANAGING HIS OR HER OWN AFFAIRS? AM NOT SURE. WHAT I FEEL SAD IS THIS PRESENT GOVERMENT. THEY SAID A LOT AND GOT POWER AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS EVEN BAD THAN THE NDC. I THOUGHT THEY WILL SAVE THE ELECTRICITY COMPANY BUT THEY ALSO CAME AND START TALKING BIG ENGLISH AND MATHMATICS AGREEING TO EVERYTHING THE NDC DID OR WERE DOING AND THEY STOOD ON THE ROOF TOP TO CRITISIZE. INFACT ITS TRUE THE REVENUE COLLECTION OF ECG IS TOO POOR. THEY WAIT TILL INDEVIDUALS AND COMPANIES GET A HIGHER BILLS BEFORE THEY RUSH IN TO TRY TO REMEDY THE SITUATION. ON HOLIDAYS AND WEEKENDS THAT PEOPLE STAY AT HOME THEY WILL NOT GO ROUND TO DAMAND PAYMENTS THEY WILL WAIT WHEN PEOPLE ARE OUT TO WORK BEFORE THEY WILL GO ROUND MOST OF THOSE OWEING HAVE LOCKED THEIR GATES AND THERE IS NO ONE AT HOME. CANT THEY USE STUDENTS ON VACATION TRAIN THEM ON MONETORING. SHOULD WE WAIT FOR THIS TO HAPPEN? AND OUR MINISTERS AND TECHNOCRATS WILL NOD THEIR HEADS AND ACCEPT ANYTHING THIS MULTY PEOPLE TELL US WE CANT SAY NO. WE DONT KNOW HOW TO SAY NO. AM VERY HURT ABOUT THE ECG ISSUE. VERY SOON THE VRA WILL FOLLOW. WE HAVE LOST GNTC.SANYO. BLACK STAR LINE, GHANA AIRWAYS, ALL OUR NATIONAL HOTELS SO WHAT IS LEFT. AM SO SAD.
This is what i dont want to hear instead of u doing your job properly all you know is sit in the offices take big sums of money and quote STUP11D figures the country is losing. What kind of country are we in at all