The Pru East MP, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, has lamented the level of indebtedness to the Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, and its impact on the company’s operations..
Commenting on the Energy Minister’s meeting with the press, Dr. Donkor said, “one of our biggest challenges that he alluded to is our unwillingness or inability to pay for the power we use, especially state agencies.”
“If you have the university of Ghana with its internally generated funds owing ECG about GHS 30 million to GHS 33 million, then we have a challenge,” he added.
Dr. Donkor further recalled that when he was power minister, he worked to ensure the gaps of indebtedness were closed.
“During my time as Minister of Power, I directed that all private universities should be put on prepaid metering except some critical facilities like the laboratories, the hospitals within those universities, lecture halls, etc.”
The former minister also noted the impact of technical losses that arise “as a result of underinvestment.”
“We also need to invest more to reduce technical losses,” Dr. Donkor concluded.
The Electricity Company of Ghana recently indicated its readiness to go after about 30 private and public institutions that owe it GHS 120 million.
The institutions include the Ghana Airport, University of Ghana, Accra International Conference Center (AICC), Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and Parliament.
Some of these institutions owe as much as about GHS 45 million and have not shown any commitment despite receiving disconnection notices from ECG, according to sources.
