By: Jones Anlimah
A 2024 Mid-Year Report released by the Volta and Oti Regional Office of the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC), indicates that Quality-of-Service Supply issues dominated complaints received from consumers against the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
According to the report, the Volta Regional Office received a total of 699 complaints against the ECG and GWCL during the review period. A significant 90.84% of these complaints pertained to Quality-of-Service Supply, highlighting widespread concerns among consumers about the reliability and consistency of utility services.
The report reveals that 671 complaints, representing 96% were resolved during the period under review. Specifically, 652 complaints (93.28%) were against the ECG, while 47 complaints (6.72%) were against the GWCL. The remaining 4% of unresolved complaints are currently at various stages of resolution.
The report details that the ECG resolved 627 out of the 652 complaints lodged against it, representing a resolution rate of 96.17%, while, the GWCL responded to 44 out of the 47 complaints filed against it, constituting a 93.62% resolution rate.
Besides Quality-of-Service issues, the PURC also handled complaints related to billing, which accounted for 6.15% of the total complaints lodged. These issues were primarily due to overbilling and bulk billing. Metering issues, mainly involving faulty meters, represented 1% of the complaints. Payments and Consumer Service Delivery (CSD) issues each accounted for 0.72%, Unlawful Disconnection stood at 0.42%, and Other issues comprised 0.14%.
In addition to addressing complaints, the PURC conducted public education activities in 43 communities across the Volta and Oti Regions.
These sessions, facilitated by local assembly members and opinion leaders, aimed to inform residents about the Commission’s role and its complaint policies and procedures.
Some of the communities visited included Likpe Agbozome, Bame, Lolito, Bala, Adaklu, Teteman, Amedormekope, Dzebetato, Agbledome, Dzita, Keta, Abor, Afiadenyigba, and Vume, among others.
The emphasis on Quality-of-Service complaints underscores the need for ECG and GWCL to improve their service delivery standards.
The PURC’s comprehensive approach to resolving these issues and educating the public demonstrates its commitment to holding utility service providers accountable and ensuring consumer satisfaction.
