Mr. Ebo Quagraine (right), Dr. Ishmael Ackah (left) and other officials cutting the anniversary cake
THE PUBLIC Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has marked its 25th anniversary with a call on utility companies to deliver efficient services as it aims to improve revenue collection.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), the Board Chairman of the Commission, Ebo Quagraine, said the calls for the revamp comes on the back of the non-payment of bills by MMDAs and the poor approach to revenue collection.
“On our part, together with some development partners, we intend to revamp regulatory benchmarks to send a clear signal to utilities to take efficiency seriously. Non-payment of bills by MDAs and the poor approach to revenue collection by the utilities themselves should be a thing of the past,” he said.
“For the first time, the commission has developed a Tariff Reckoner App to enable consumers of utility services to calculate their cost of usage of the service rendered by both ECG and Ghana Water. The Tariff Reckoner, which is also accessible on the PURC website, can also be downloaded on the Google play store. The app allows you to select your customer type and your computation preference, that is, whether you want to compute amounts (in Ghana Cedis) from consumed electricity (kWh) or water (m3), and vice versa. Mr. Chairman, we are demystifying the provision of utility service,” he said.
Dr. Ishmael Ackah, Executive Secretary of the Commission, said feats chalked by the regulator could not be realised without the dedication and sacrifices made by past executive secretaries and management.
He, therefore, assured the public that the commission will continue to deepen efficiency, accountability and transparency in the delivery of electricity, water, and natural gas services in Ghana while its continues to negotiate the regulatory path with a high sense of responsibility to its mandate.
Debbie Roets, Executive Secretary for African Forum for Utility Regulations (AFUR), commended PURC for the strides it has made in regulating the utility sector.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah