The committee set up by government to investigate complaints of over-billing against the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has established that there is an error in the software used in the computation of electricity bills.
The committee, headed by the Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Michael Opam, is convinced that the increasing reports of overbilling were caused by a dysfunction in the ECG’s billing software. The committee was set up following numerous complaints made by power consumers.
The Deputy Power Minister, John Jinapor, who made the remarks in an interview with Citi News, also added that some measures have been instituted to correct the defects in the software.
“We have made a lot of progress even with the software. We have put in some correctional measures even with the challenges that we have. The workers themselves believe that there were some isolated incidents where people’s bills went too high and that has been corrected and we shall continue to correct any challenges that comes up. For a new software that covers about 3.5 million customers, you will definitely have challenges”, he stated.
He also added that, government will implement all the recommendations in the report in its bid to ensure the efficient supply of power to consumers.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, PURC, had ordered the ECG to suspend the usage of the new software, and the ban is yet to be lifted despite the corrective measures put in place.
Some workers of ECG who are members of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, PUWU, have given the PURC an ultimatum to withdraw its directive to the company.
According to them, the impression created by the PURC has endangered their lives.
Some members of the ECG’s Senior Staff Association have also explained that the high cost of electricity bill, is largely as a result of increased taxes by government and not an error in the company’s billing software.
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