Accra: The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has recovered over four million Ghana cedis on behalf of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in 2025 through its complaints resolution mechanisms. A total of GHS4,295,445.64 was retrieved in the Greater Accra Region following interventions by the Commission after receiving complaints from ECG against some customers.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Commission's interventions also led to the payment of GHS173,986.60 as refunds to customers who lodged complaints against the utility provider, bringing the total amount involved to GHS4,469,432.25. Madam Gifty Bruce-Nelson, the Greater Accra Regional Manager of PURC, disclosed this at a media briefing in Accra on Tuesday.
She said the Commission recorded 1,178 complaints during the period, comprising 1,107 against utility providers and 71 against customers. "Out of the 1,107 complaints, 536 were reported complaints from ECG while 571 were direct complaints from customers," she said. "There were 888 complaints against ECG and 219 complaints against Ghana Water Limited (GWL)."
Madam Bruce-Nelson noted that quality of service issues, including power outages, phase faults, transformer challenges, broken poles, and sagging wires due to bushfires and tree cutting topped the complaints list with 563 cases. She added that billing-related issues accounted for 141 complaints, while meter-related concerns recorded 66 cases, with unlawful disconnections and damage to property also featuring prominently.
On the modes of reporting, she said most complaints were received through electronic media (647), followed by phone calls (196), written submissions (165), and walk-ins (115). Madam Bruce-Nelson said the Commission's monitoring, evaluation, and assessment team visited 10 district ECG offices, 10 district GWL offices, 54 selected private vending centres in the Accra East Region, and 87 industrial and commercial customers to assess service delivery and reliability.
She urged customers to desist from illegal connections, phase alterations, and water theft, while calling on utility providers to ensure stable service delivery and timely billing. In 2024, ECG recovered GHS29,080,692.20 from debtors through PURC's interventions, while customers received refunds totalling GHS867,535.67 after lodging complaints against the company.