Els: MBN360 News
Policy lead for Climate finance and Energy Transition at the Institute of Climate and Environmental Governance, Kwesi Yamoah Abaidoo has called for clarity on widespread electricity billing discrepancies affecting consumers across the country, calling on the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to urgently address the situation.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Asaase News, Kwesi Yamoah raised concerns about whether consumers are actually paying for the energy they use.
He explained that although utility tariffs were increased in January, several customers are now paying far more than expected, even though their appliances and usage patterns have not changed.
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“You hear people tell you that previously I was consuming about let’s say 600 cedis but now I’m paying almost 1,500 cedis per month, which is uncalled for, considering the fact that consumers are still using the same number of appliances or quantity of appliances and then even at the same hours but then they are paying more”, he said.
He also welcomed the Energy Minister’s seven-day ultimatum to the Electricity Company of Ghana, describing it as “a step in the right direction,” but warned that the improvement should not be temporary.
“We should not only be looking at it from the short term where the kind of services that is being rendered to consumers experience an improvement. However, we should also be looking at it in the long term,” he added.
Kwesi Yamoah finally urged the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to carry out periodic audits to ensure that consumers are paying the right amount for the energy they consume.
He encouraged the PURC to work with the Electricity Company of Ghana to make sure that billing is done properly.
