The Accra West Region of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has commenced the installation of smart prepaid meters for residents of Wiaboman, a coastal community in the Greater Accra region.
The move is intended to enhance service delivery to the community, improve customer satisfaction and convenience, and reduce the company’s commercial losses in the community.
The company hopes to replace a total of 4,000 faulty meters, and serve new applicants with MMS-compliant smart prepaid meters under the Loss Reduction Programme (LRP).
At a community engagement held with residents of the Wiaboman community, ECG outlined plans to alleviate the power-related challenges that plague the community.
The acting District Manager for the Bortianor district, Mr John Afanu, noted that the replacement exercise was absolutely free for customers.
He explained that the company loses significant revenue from the community and hopes to seal the loopholes by replacing the faulty meters.
“With the smart prepaid meters, customers can buy power at any time of the day at their convenience. The ECG power app also allows customers to directly report power outages and challenges,” he mentioned.
The Revenue Protection Manager, Dr Mark Owusu Ansah, bemoaned the high rate of illegalities recorded in the area.
He noted that illegal connections pose a danger to residents of the community since they often lead to fire outbreaks and unstable power reliability.
“The ratings of the transformers we have installed in this community were based on an assessment of the electricity demands of the community. Illegally connecting to the grid without recourse to ECG overburdens the transformer and will lead to transformer damage which costs the company more to replace,” he cautioned.
He further warned that persons who are identified as engaging in illegality will be disconnected, surcharged for the stolen power, prosecuted for power theft, and may be published in the media.
Dr Owusu Ansah also warned customers against the use of substandard cables to wire their premises, urging them to consult certified electricians to avoid fire outbreaks.
Speaking on behalf of the community, the Assemblyman for the area, Mr Samuel Mensah, welcomed the engagement with ECG and assured the company of the community’s support to rid the system of any challenges and illegalities.
This, he agreed, will improve customer satisfaction while giving ECG the needed revenue from the area.
Among community members who assembled for the engagement were the chief of Wiaboman, Nii Shantakplebi, local political leaders, other traditional leaders and community elders.
The eight Accra West region districts are Ablekuma, Achimota, Amasaman, Bortianor, Dansoman, Kaneshie, Korlebu and Nsawam.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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