The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has disconnected power to the Accra Digital Centre over the non-payment of a GHS 600,000 bill.
Speaking to the media after the disconnection, the Public Relations Officer of ECG, Accra West region, Fred Baimbill-Johnson, described the revenue mobilisation exercise as successful so far.
“As an electricity distribution company, disconnection is often our last resort when all efforts to retrieve payments fail, and that’s where we are now. We are without any options,” he said.
The team also visited the head office of AirtelTigo, and after discussions with the management, the company made a payment of GHS 1 million to settle its debts with ECG.
The Accra West team commended Fan Milk Ghana Ltd, Accra Breweries Limited, and Blue Skies for being prompt with the payment of their bills.
The Accra West Regional General Manager, ECG, Emmanuel Akinie, advised customers to shun engaging in illegal activities, which denied ECG needed revenue for system improvement works.
The company said it had so far retrieved 2.5 billion cedis out of the 5.7 billion cedis in debt owed by customers nationwide.
Why The Disconnection?
Ghana’s major power distributor, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), is on a massive nationwide disconnection spree, primarily targeting state institutions owing a cumulative amount of $478,733,166 (GHC5.7bn).
The disconnection is part of a month-long exercise across all of ECG’s operational areas to retrieve debts owed the company and check for illegal connections.
ECG said it is going to be ruthless during its 30-day revenue mobilisation exercise as it pursues defaulting public and private customers, including mining and manufacturing firms, which are the biggest debtors.
“Pay up or get disconnected. We are not showing any mercy. No one is untouchable,” Samuel Mahama, the managing director of ECG affirmed.
Mahama is leading the special task force made up of top managers and staff of ECG and the police to recover the debt. According to the company, the operation is already bearing some fruit.