In a press statement issued on Saturday, March 18, the ministry referred to an earlier letter dated March 17, 2025, which introduced Mr. Ocansey to the position.

“We refer to our letter with Ref. No. Z.A.6/247/01ª dated 17th March 2025 introducing Mr. John Ayiku Ocansey as the new Acting Deputy Managing Director of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG),” the statement read.

However, the ministry noted that the earlier communication was issued in error and has since been withdrawn.

“We wish to inform you that our earlier letter was inadvertently written and hereby wish to withdraw same,” the statement added.

As a result, the initial announcement regarding Mr. Ocansey’s appointment has been nullified, with the latest clarification superseding the previous letter.

Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Tuesday, Mr. Mahama said the staff are there to ensure that the work is done.

“There is no need to confront or obstruct our staff as they are all there to work. I urge all Ghanaians to comply with our team as they install the new smart prepaid meters” he appealed.

He further warned that, anyone who tampers with our new smart meters will be dealt with decisively.

This comes as ECG undertakes a major project to replace outdated and malfunctioning electricity meters in the Accra East region with advanced Smart MMS-compliant prepaid meters.

The initiative, scheduled from September 2 to September 30, 2024, is part of ECG’s broader strategy to modernize its metering system and ensure accurate revenue collection.

The project targets key operational districts, including Makola, Teshie, Legon, Roman Ridge, Kwabenya, Mampong, Dodowa, and Adentan, with a goal of replacing 250,000 meters.

The new Smart MMS-compliant prepaid meters are designed to offer increased reliability and efficiency.

Customers will have the convenience of topping up their credits remotely using the ECG Power App or a short code (*226#), making it easier to manage electricity consumption.

Mr. Mahama expressed confidence in the success of the project.

“We are confident of replacing almost all post-paid meters with new smart prepaid meters across the country” he added.

He therefore said this upgrade is part of ECG’s Loss Reduction Project (LRP), which aims to decrease technical and commercial losses and enhance overall operational efficiency.

Source:Adomonline.com | Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

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Managing Director, Samuel Dubik Mahama, has urged calm among Ghanaians, assuring they are working effortlessly to keep the lights on.

He told journalists following a meeting with the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament on Saturday.

ECG had earlier blamed the recent power outages on some 630 of its overloaded transformers in several communities due to high demand.

However, the ECG MD has assured the issues have been addressed and Ghanaians will soon be given the full details on the way forward.

“The assurance is that we are doing our best. The lights are going to stay on. Most of the transformers that we spoke about and the intensification exercises are almost done, so we should just stay positive.

There will be a proper statement as to the way forward. We are currently not shedding load. So we are not shedding load,” he said.

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In a statement, ECG explained the video is an extract of an interview that was granted over a year and a half ago.

This statement noted it was during its impasse with Manya Krobo residents where amongst other things, ECG staff were assaulted for requesting payment of bills from customers.

“We deeply regret the misunderstanding created by the resurfacing of this extract, which has been grossly taken out of context,” portions of the statement read.

The company further noted that it understands the plight of its customers while assuring the citizenry that the “video does not reflect the values and commitment of our MD and ECG”.

Meanwhile, ECG says it is collaborating with key industry players on the value chain to address the issues being experienced to bring forth a sustainable solution.

Read the full statement below:

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According to him, the current power outages, also known as “dumsor,” should not be blamed on transformers or maintenance challenges.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) legislator, speaking on JoyFM’s Top Story on March 12, explained that there appears to be a generation problem that has translated into distribution challenges, thus causing the power crisis.

In this regard, he appealed to Mr Mahama to come forward about the challenges so that stakeholders in the energy sector can have a round-table discussion and find a way forward.

“Transformers do not get overloaded overnight. ECG by conversion undertakes routine maintenance in the afternoon, they don’t undertake in the night from 7-11pm. Routine maintenance means that you have planned. You cannot engage in routine maintenance in the day and at the same time in the night.

“In this era of information communication, do not think that you can swindle people. The capacity available is 3,012 Megawatts, and the peak demand is 3,663 Megawatts. Export CIA, that is Cote d’Ivoire, has been reduced to 27 Megawatts, Sonabel in Burkina Faso is at 150 Megawatts, and CED that is Togo is at 54 Megawatts.

“Load management by ECG is at 600 Megawatts. So from a generation point of view, today, there is a deficit of 600 Megawatts. Some plants are down for maintenance and lack fuel. They don’t have money to buy adequate fuel,” he said.

He continued, “Then our gas production is declining. It has declined by 32% since 2017, so even the throughput in terms of the amount of gas is going down. Look, that is a serious matter, and I am begging Mr Dubik, please don’t ignore that. When you have a challenge, admit that there is a problem. Let’s all find solutions.”

“But when you come and tell us that your transformers are overloaded, please, people are listening, people understand the sector. All transformers in ECG all of a sudden are overloaded, and your routine maintenance is done in the night? Please give us some modicum and some credit of intelligence. When churning out this kind of false information to us, it is not fair at all,” he added.

His comments follow the ECG MD’s insistence that the recent “dumsor” was because, sometimes during maintenance works, there are unforeseen challenges, and it is often very late to communicate these issues to the public.

On the same show, on Tuesday, the Executive Director of the Institute of Energy Security (IES), Nana Amoasi VII, backed Mr Jinapor’s claims that there was a power deficit in generation.

Nana Amoasi VII argued that Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) should address the concerns about power deficit instead of ECG.’

“These are questions that must be answered by GRIDCo and not ECG. We don’t know who is pushing ECG to answer these questions. It is the load given to you by the transmitter GRIDCo that you manage. If you think that you have a deficit that cannot meet your peak demand, you shed load and you give your people a timetable, but to explain why we have a deficit in load, it is for GRIDCo, the system operator, that must answer this question because whether to dispatch a plant or not is decided by GRIDCo.”

“So GRIDCo is the one that tells why this plant is not working, why plant B is working. They have the answers, not ECG. We don’t know why ECG wants to shoulder all these concerns. They must concern themselves with load management. GRIDCo must tell Ghanaians why we are not getting the load that is required,” he said.

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Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Mr Mahama, who has been at the helm of ECG, shed light on the difficulties he faces in managing the responsibilities of his position.

The Managing Director disclosed that his life has been threatened, and the safety of his children and family has been jeopardized since assuming the role.

“Doing this job is not the easiest thing, your life is being threatened, and to put the lives of your children and family in limbo it’s not fair. And these are things that have been happening to me,” Mahama revealed during the interview.

The Managing Director further emphasized that the challenges he faces are often exacerbated when false accusations are made against him or the power distribution company.

He urged the public to verify facts before making accusations, stating, “… it is always when people are complaining that somebody has taken an amount of money or something has been moved, it is not fair. Get the facts right.”

Expressing his frustration, Mr Mahama highlighted the growing trend of spreading misinformation in the country, emphasising the need for responsible reporting.

“We’re getting to a point in this country, where waking up in the morning and brandishing things that are not true is the order of the day, and that is not fair,”he stated.

His frustration comes amidst incessant power outages that are being experienced in the country. Ghanaians have asked ECG to come out with a power outage timetable for all and sundry to know that ‘dumsor’ [power cuts] has returned.

Meanwhile, Mr Mahama has given the assurance that issues that resulted in the recent power outages have been resolved, hence, the intermittent power cuts will be a thing of the past.

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According to him, ECG’s debt stock keeps increasing and the move was part of a recovery exercise.

“Currently, the schools’ bill is almost GHC45m in arrears. Across the nation, there is a GHC2.5b debt based on debt stock I am seeing.  For Accra Academy and co, I am sorry for what happened yesterday, I know it was a traumatizing experience.

“That was not the main aim of the company. I had a conversation with the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, and he has promised to have a meeting with me before the end of this week, so we can find a long-lasting solution to these issues and how we can handle them going forward,” he said in an interview on Accra-based TV3.

Background

ECG) said it had no choice but to disconnect Accra Academy from the national grid on Monday, February 19.

The Kaneshie-based school experienced a total blackout, forcing students to rely on torchlights for studying.

This situation raised concerns among guardians and stakeholders and triggered widespread controversy about the state of utility in second-cycle institutions across the country.

According to reports, the school owes approximately GHS500,000 in post-paid electricity bills since July 2023.

ECG’s External Communications Manager emphasized that the school will not be reconnected until it meets certain basic requirements in line with the company’s revenue mobilisation drive.

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This according to him is is to avoid uncomfortable situations given how people look at him anytime there is power outage at such gatherings.

“When people’s power goes off, it could be that the credit on their meters are finished but they will first blame ECG because they will actually check to know the real problem,” he said.

He disclosed this on Accra-based Peace FM, stating he is not even able to go to church.

“I don’t like these small fights so in order to avoid them, I just stay at home,” he added.

Mr Mahama was speaking on the sidelines of ECG’s operations and its related challenges, especially the ongoing nationwide meter audit exercise.

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The Junior and Senior Staff Unions of the Company had petitioned the Board for the dismissal of the MD, claiming he was not discharging his duties effectively.

The Unions alleged that the MD had been in office for close to two years and had shown lack of vision for the Company.

He promoted the outsourcing of the collection of revenue from Special Load Tariff (SLT) customers to third parties at a commission of seven percent discounted rate and three per cent consulting fee, a service that was executed effectively by staff and other institutions for free, the Union said.

It also alleged a number of procurement process breaches under the “clear supervision” of the MD and that the Company’s technical and commercial losses were galloping.

Mr Agyeman-Budu, in a response through the Ghana News Agency, said the allegations were untrue and that the Company, under his leadership, had initiated the one-day one-service for new meters for customers.

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He said ECG was currently undergoing a new Wifi project, leveraging on government to connect ECG’s offices (regions, districts, customer service centres, substations) with the fibre.

Mr Agyeman-Budu said claims that he did not approve the provision of adequate materials for the Company’s operations was because there had been shortages due to the Covid-19 pandemic, adding; “Most companies from whom we buy these materials folded up and were not producing, hence the little stock left was exhausted.”

He said accusations that there were no accessories for vendors were unfounded because ECG did not buy accessories for vendors.

“What happens is that if you apply to be a vendor for ECG, you bring along your desktop machine to the ICT Directorate for the VPN to be installed onto it. Vendor buys a quota monthly and gets a percentage for selling power,” the MD said.

He said it was also not true that he stopped revenue mobilisation in June 2020, and explained that government subsidised electricity for some months and instructed that no form of revenue or disconnection of power should be done, with other companies like VRA, Ghana Water, and GRiDco, also adhering to the rules.

Mr Agyeman-Budu said it could not be true that he did not involve his three Deputy Managers in decision making, and that the “Deputy Managing Director Finance and Deputy Managing Director Human Resource are always around to advice and make positive suggestions on most of the things.”

Meanwhile, a Group of Concerned Staff of ECG, in a statement, corroborated the MD’s stance and said the call for his removal was “a mere orchestration of few individuals to serve their parochial interests.”

The Group said the MD was facing such opposition because he instituted “mystery shoppers” and continued to discipline and weed out bad nuts who extorted monies from customers.

It said the ECG, through prudent management, continued to meet its financial obligations to independent power producers (IPPs) and GRIDCO.

“These aforementioned entities, which used to complain about payments, do not any longer…It is now a thing of the past.”