An amount of GH¢11, 441,875.55 has been recovered from consumers indebted to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) between January and September this year, Mrs Gifty Bruce-Nelson, the Greater Accra Regional Manager of PURC, has disclosed.
The disclosure follows complaints lodged by ECG to PURC regarding consumer bill payments.
Mrs Bruce-Nelson made this announcement during a training workshop for Assembly members and Unit Committee members in Accra yesterday, which aimed to engage the public through participants on PURC operations.
The programme, organised by the Greater Accra Region PURC, brought together 50 participants from the Agbogba electoral area and Ga East Municipal.
Mrs Bruce-Nelson reported that the region received a total of 1,126 complaints against regulated utilities by September this year.
Of these, she stated that, 876 complaints (74.3 per cent) were tools.
He said, the programme was a livelihood empowerment one, and that, “the GNPC is responsible for giving out the start-up tools, but the examination and certification is conducted and done by NVTI.”
The initiative, he pointed out, was geared towards empowering 2,135 individuals across the country.
He stressed that, “the programme is aimed at empowering the dreams and impact lives which targets the informal sector for its beneficiaries.”
Mr Benefo advised beneficiaries not to sell the start-up tools when given to them upon graduation but work with them to the benefits of their dependents and Ghana as whole towards the reduction of unemployment, especially among the youth in the country.
The SAP is a livelihood empowerment programme that trains and equips young artisans with vocational skills and tools.
It includes proficiency examination from the NVTI.
lodged against ECG, while Ghana Water Company recorded 153 complaints (12.98 per cent).
The Regional Manager listed various types of complaints, including damaged property, unlawful disconnection, payment issues, quality of service concerns, metering problems, billing disputes, and consumer service delivery matters.
She further explained that PURC is an independent body established under the Public Regulatory Commission Act 1997 (Act 538) to regulate and oversee the provision of utility services in the country.
“The regulator provides guidelines for rates to be charged for utility services, examines and approves utility rates, among other responsibilities,” she added.
Mrs Bruce-Nelson said the training was designed to educate participants about PURC operations and related issues.
Moreover, she mentioned that similar training would be replicated in other communities across the region to help consumers better understand the Commission’s work.
She also noted that PURC conducted public education programmes in schools and communities to inform the public about “best practices” and their activities.
The Director of Regional Operations and Consumer Services at PURC, Alhaji Jabaru Abukari, emphasised that assembly members and unit committee members were important stakeholders in ensuring consumers receive quality service from utility companies.
Alhaji Abukari urged consumers to report activities that affected utility companies’ operations and advised them to conserve energy.
He also encouraged the public to contact certified ECG personnel whenever they experienced service problems, warning that those who violated regulations would face sanctions.
The Assembly Woman of Ga East Municipal at Abokobi, Ms Vida Tangwam, speaking on behalf of the participants, commended the Commission for the initiative and called for more such collaborations.
She described the training as timely and assured that participants would share their acquired knowledge in order to ensure consumers receive quality service from utility companies
BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI