The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has rendered an unqualified apology to consumers in the Ashanti Region for the recent incessant power cuts.
The ECG, however, said the situation has improved considerably over the past weeks despite the public uproar.
Speaking to Nana Yaa Mensah on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Wednesday 16 June in Kumasi, the public relations officer of ECG, Erasmus Baidoo, said his unfit is unable to furnish consumers with a definite timetable.
“Sometimes we have most areas going off and another time we have quite a number going off and that has been the situation, but as I said over the past few weeks, we have seen some level of improvement,” Baidoo said.
He added: “And we are hoping that it will keep improving until we are over it. So we apologise sincerely for the inability to come out with a timetable.”
Baidoo also assured that most of the projects being carried out to improve power supply in the region are near completion stage.
Background
Residents in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi have in the past few months expressed their anger at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) over frequent power outages.
According to the residents, their power goes off most evenings without any notice.
A resident who believes the development means a return to power rationing was unhappy about the frequency of the power cuts.
“I can’t say it’s dumsor as they say, but the rate at which the power outage is going on is alarming. So, in fact, if there is any problem, the electricity company should let us know. And if even there could be a schedule [to warn] that there will be power outage at this time, so that people will prepare,” she said weeks ago.
“But the rate at which the power is going off unexpectedly and coming back, it is destroying people’s items and all that. And if we are not careful it is going to create a lot of problems for people.”
Another Kumasi resident said: “I don’t think dumsor is back again. I believe they said they had a problem at Tema East, so the other day the whole of Ghana went off and there were no lights anywhere.
“So, I think ECG should be up and doing, because during the COVID we were able to use the light for free [but] now the government has said those things we used, they will add it to the tariff. So we are paying double.
“I believe they should give us some quality light so that people can use it to work and earn money and pay their light bill,” he said.
Fred Dzakpata
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