Former Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, has disclosed that there was virtually no investment made in the company during the first term of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration.
Speaking at the JoyNews National Dialogue on Thursday, Mr Mahama explained that the government’s focus on privatising the power distribution company left little room for investment in its infrastructure and operations.
“If you cast your mind back, during the President’s first tenure, all efforts were geared towards sending ECG into privatisation. So, there was zero investment in the company,” Mr Mahama stated.
He recounted the failed Power Distribution Services (PDS) deal, which saw the management of ECG handed over to PDS for about eight months before the agreement collapsed.
Following the botched privatisation attempt, ECG reverted to full state control, just as the country was heading into the 2020 general elections, he added.
Mr Mahama, who assumed office as Managing Director in 2022, said one of his first actions was to conduct a “health check” on the company.
“What I found was that although there had been massive growth in the number of ECG customers, this was not properly reflected in the company’s data,” he said.
According to him, ECG’s Commercial Management System (CMS), introduced through a World Bank project, could not accommodate the rapid growth in customer numbers.
“The billing system had its own deficiencies. When it hit the 4.5 million customer mark, new customers being added were not being captured in the billing system. They were hanging,” he noted.
ALSO READ: