Bono and Ahafo Regions record high rates of power theft, says NEDCo
According to NEDCo, power losses in the Bono and Ahafo Regions have risen from about 18% to 26% between 2022 and the first quarter of this year
The Sunyani area manager of the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), Engineer Eugene Odoi Addo, has expressed worry over the high rate of power losses due to illegal connections by some residents in the Bono and Ahafo Regions.
Briefing the media during the Comprehensive General Revenue Mobilisation and Loss Control Exercise, Eng. Odoi Addo said the NEDCO’s power losses have risen from about 18.6% to 26.4% between 2022 and the first quarter of this year, hence the need for action.
For instance in power losses in the the two regions increased by 19.1% in 2020. In 2021, it rose to 19.4%. In 2022, however, it reduced to 18.6%.
The figures say in 2023 power losses increase again to 22.1%. in the in first quarter of this year it has increased again to 26.4%.
This constant power losses, according to Odoi Addo has significantly affected the operations of the power distributing company in the two regions.
“For this exercise, we are looking at the lost control aspect. In the previous exercise, the lost control was more like a by-product but this exercise is the time we are going to dedicate a period to do just lost control.”
“From our statistics over the past few years, the losses are going up. We used to record about 18–19% currently, we are around 26%, which shows that the rate is going up and if we don’t take action again now, we would be faced with a more escalating issue. Privately-owned and public institutions in the Bono and Ahafo Regions owe NEDCo about GHC290 million,” Odoi Addo said.
“If there are any changes about the exercise, they are very small changes, Because we expect people to pay bills on their own, we don’t want a situation where we have reached a point where we have to force people to pay their bills and leave other important tasks in our offices and go to the field and collect out debts.
“I think that by and large we are making headway, though its small but with time, we will be able to reach the level of self-payment by our customers,” said Odoi Addo.
To sustain the system, Engineer Eugene Odoi Addo urged customers to make it a point to pay their bills out of necessity instead of being chased by the NEDCo.
Phase five of the general revenue mobilisation and loss control exercise will see the Sunyani Area of NEDCo target recovering about GHC25 million out of the about GHC290 million owed by both private and public institutions in the Bono and Ahago regions.
Reporting by Daniel Donkor in the Bono Region
Asaase Broadcasting Company airs on Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 99.7 Tamale, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra).
Affiliates: Azay FM 89.1 (Takoradi), Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale).
Listen online: asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn.
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @Asaase997tamale, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaase99.7tamale, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, asaase99.7, AsaasePa107.3.
YouTube: AsaaseXtra.
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/054 888 8995, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Tamale: call/WhatsApp/SMS 053 554 6468. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand
