Stop calling me: we’ll name and shame defaulters, says ECG boss
On Monday ECG began a nationwide exercise to mobilise revenue and recover payment for all unpaid customer bills, amounting to GHC5.7 billion
The managing director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has served notice to defaulting customers and organisations that it will soon start naming and shaming defaulters to further its revenue mobilisation drive.
ECG began a nationwide revenue mobilisation exercise on Monday (20 March 2023) to recover payment for all unpaid customer bills. The money owed amounts to over GHC5.7 billion.
Appearing on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday (22 March), the MD of ECG, Samuel Mahama, said people calling to intervene on behalf of defaulters should desist.
“The phone calls should stop because, at the end of the day, you have to do the right thing. Let’s not politicise this,” Mahama said.
“As for the calls, they keep coming because we have realised that we are so quick to point out when it comes to state agencies that haven’t paid,” he said.
“So, next week if they don’t pick up the slack, we are going to do that name and shame for the people of Ghana to see who the major culprits are,” Mahama added.
Listen to Samuel Mahama in the audio clip attached below:
Arrears
Parliament has made part payment of its debt to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
This was after it paid GHC8.5 million out of GHC13 million owed the ECG so as to prevent disconnection from the national grid.
The part payment was made after the revenue mobilisation task force of the ECG visited the house on Monday.
Administrative officials at Parliament made the payment through ECG’s approved bank after discussions with the task force.
Parliament’s payment was made in two instalments: GHC3.5 million via cheque processed electronically and GHC5million to be paid through the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), run by the Ministry of Finance.
ECG’s external communications manager, Laila Abubakari, who confirmed this, said that the monies being retrieved would be paid through the approved payment portals, as the task force was not receiving cash.
“We are not accepting cash and so everyone who will be making payment will do it through the electronic process or the banks.
“Yes, Parliament made part payment, issuing a cheque for GHC3.5 million with an additional GHC5 million to be paid by the Finance Ministry through the GIFMIS platform, so in total, an amount of GHC8.5 million was paid,” she said.
Reporting by Fred Dzakpata in Accra
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