Politicians have hijacked the importation of ECG meters – PUWU

The Public Utilities Workers’ Union (PUWU), a trade union representing Ghanaian utility workers, has stressed the need for politicians to stop interfering in the operations of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), citing it as a major reason for the company’s inefficiency.

The Union claims that politicians, who lack technical knowledge or experience in the energy sector—particularly in ECG affairs—have hijacked the company’s core operations, causing significant disruptions.

General Secretary of the Union, Timothy Nyame, who made the remarks, stated that politicians have taken over the importation of meters from the company and are importing substandard meters that are unfit for purpose.

Speaking in an interview on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he disclosed that meters are not readily available, and those that exist are often imported by politicians unfamiliar with the technical requirements of meters. He also mentioned that some meters are configured for use in specific locations, but due to interference, these arrangements are disregarded.

Nyame was responding to an assurance given by President John Dramani Mahama that the ECG, as an organization, would not be privatized but would allow private sector participation to ensure efficiency. However, Nyame asserted that there is no difference between privatization and the model proposed by the president.

“We have advised the government to ensure that when meters are being provided, ECG technicians are involved so they can work on the meters or configure them to make reading and revenue collection more effective. The politicians have hijacked the importation of meters without any involvement from ECG. That is a serious challenge for us. When they import the meters, we have no say. We sometimes struggle to configure the meters before we can read them. It is crucial for politicians to stop interfering in our work. That is one of the reasons why ECG is struggling,” he stated.

He also claimed that some meters used by the Ghanaian public are not in ECG’s system because they were procured through middlemen.

“There are consumers who have been struggling to get meters from ECG. They are tossed around by ECG, and these individuals are tempted to get meters from middlemen, leading to illegal connections. These issues result in revenue losses. To address these concerns, we propose that meters should be readily available, passing through ECG to allow for easy configuration,” he emphasized.