Depoliticized ECG Management to Provide Efficiency Services-ACEP
The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) has warned against any attempt to privatize the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), as it would not guarantee efficient services.
According to the Centre, the most possible way to turn around the fortunes of the ECG is to depoliticize the management and the company operation, devoid of political interferences.
Mr Kodzo Yaotse, Policy Lead for Petroleum and Conventional Energy at ACEP, raised the concerns about the performance of the ECG during an encounter with members of the Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) in Accra on Monday, April 22, 2024.
In his considered view, if there were competitors in the power distribution market, ECG might have already lost its customer base due to inefficiency.
Notheless, Mr Yaotse criticized ECG’s self-reform efforts as ineffective and pointed out the ongoing difficulties between the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and ECG as evidence of the government’s challenges in regulating its entities.
He suggested, “To find more sustainable solutions, we must isolate the politics from the technical management of ECG.”he said this in an interview on the sidelines of a capacity workshop for members of the Parliamentary Press Corps in Accra.
He emphasized the urgency of adopting sustainable measures to improve ECG’s operations, particularly in revenue collection, to enhance liquidity across the energy value chain. Yaotse also noted the absence of a load-shedding timetable as a sign of regulatory defiance by ECG, which complicates the management of power distribution and impacts critical services like hospitals.
While admitting that privatization of ECG has its implications, Mr Yaotse expressed the concern that the recent comments by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and Dr. Elikplim Kwabla Apetorgbor, CEO of Independent Power Generators Ghana ought to be further interrogated with public debate.
Dr. Apetorgbor in his comments on the ECG kicked against its privatization, citing the potential for increased tariffs, job losses, and neglect of infrastructure.
He advocated for maintaining public ownership of ECG, enhancing operational efficiencies, and exploring public-private partnerships to ensure reliable electricity supply essential for Ghana’s economic development.
These contrasting viewpoints underscore the complexity of managing Ghana’s energy sector, where strategic governance and transparency are crucial to addressing the ongoing challenges effectively.
Similarly, ACEP has also taken a swift on government for its failures to manage the COVID-19 support package from the IMF and World Bank to alleviate the impact of the pandemic on ordinary Ghanaians.
Source: expressnewsghana.com
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