The Upper West Regional Office of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has resolved 548 out of 563 complaints received from utility consumers between January and June 2026.
The figure represents 97.34 per cent of complaints received by the Commission concerning electricity and water services during the first half of the year.
In a statement signed by the Upper West Regional Manager of PURC, Ali Abdul Wadud, and issued to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa, the Commission said the remaining 15 complaints, representing 2.66 per cent, were at various stages of investigation and resolution.
“Most of these outstanding cases are related to billing issues, which require detailed verification, reconciliation, and adjustments before they can be conclusively resolved,” the statement said.
According to the statement, 522 complaints, representing 92.72 per cent, were lodged against the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), while 38 complaints, representing 6.75 per cent, were against Ghana Water Limited (GWL).
Consumers lodged 560 complaints against the two utility providers, while three complaints, representing 0.5 per cent, were lodged by utility service providers against consumers.
Quality of service issues constituted the largest category, accounting for 489 complaints. Of these, 455 were against NEDCo and 34 against GWL.
The complaints included power outages, voltage fluctuations, transformer overload, intermittent power supply, phase-off, broken poles, burst pipes and no-flow situations.
Billing-related complaints were the second-largest category, with 33 cases. NEDCo accounted for 30, while GWL recorded three.
The concerns included electricity and water bills, delayed bill adjustments and billing discrepancies.
Consumer service delivery complaints accounted for 17 cases, all of which were lodged against NEDCo.
The Commission also recorded 10 metering-related complaints, seven payment-related complaints and three unlawful disconnection cases.
PURC said the high number of complaints against NEDCo highlighted persistent electricity-related service concerns in the region.
It therefore underscored the need for continued engagement with NEDCo to improve service reliability and consumer satisfaction.
The Commission said it undertook regulatory, consumer protection and stakeholder engagement activities during the period to promote the delivery of safe, reliable and efficient utility services within its operational area.
It also received and investigated complaints while collaborating with regulated utility providers to facilitate their timely resolution.
According to PURC, these efforts had contributed to improving consumer confidence in its complaint management and resolution procedures while strengthening accountability among regulated utility providers.
“The increase in complaints this year reflects the impact of intensified public education and consumer engagement initiatives, which have empowered more consumers to report utility service challenges and seek redress through established complaint resolution mechanisms,” the statement said.
PURC reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening consumer protection measures and working with utility providers to address challenges and improve service delivery in the Upper West Region.
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