News
Volta ECG mobilises GH¢12.5m within one week of revenue mobilisation
Volta Regional Directorate of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has mobilised GH¢12.5 million from its debtors within one week of debt collection operation in the region.
The amount realised is above the initial target of GH¢5 million, representing 250 percent of the revenue mobilisation.
Mr Benjamin Obeng Antwi, the Regional Public Relations Officer, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Ho, said the second-week operation was being finalised.
The ECG is embarking on a revenue mobilisation drive to retrieve a debt of GH¢5.7 billion across the country, of which customers in the Volta and Oti regions owe about GH¢219 million.
The exercise is being undertaken in 11 operational districts across the two regions and was yielding the desired results, he said, with two more weeks to go.
Meanwhile, the Regional Directorate has served the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) a demand notice to redeem it’s GH¢17 million accrued between 2021 and till date.
The entire Kpeve headworks alone owes the highest amount of about GH¢13 million in power arrears with the least being GH¢68.48.
The notice, which was signed by Mr Michael Buabin, the Acting General Manager of ECG, Volta Region, sighted by the GNA, is urging the GWCL to pay up its bills on or before April 4, this year, or face disconnection across its offices and generating facilities in the region
The letter partly read “We are compelled to serve you a disconnection notice following PURC Regulations LI 2413, 37, sub-regulation (2), which states that a public utility that seeks to disconnect a service under paragraphs (b) and (c) of sub-regulation (1) shall give the consumer written notice of disconnection at least three working days before disconnecting the service.”
“In line with the above regulation, you are required to settle all arrears within six working days or your facility will be disconnected on April 4.”
In an interview with the GNA, Mr. Buabin reiterated that ECG never took delight in disconnecting its clients but as a business entity, which bought power to trade for profit, it could crush when unpaid bills piled-up uncollected.
He said disconnections as the last resort was carried out to prevent the customer from accruing more debt and to enable the Company to gather more revenue to keep the electricity supply chain running.
“We want to make Volta Region the hub of excellent customer service, so we want to ensure stable power supply in the region and the revenue from our customers will enable us to complete pending projects and initiate new ones,” he said.
The government is set to lay before Parliament today, November 21, a Constitutional Instrument (C.I) seeking to restrict the importation of selected strategic products into the country.
The items, numbering over 20, will include rice, tripe (popularly called “yemuadie” in Ghana), and diapers.
The government said the move is part of efforts to enhance local production.
Speaking during a press briefing in Parliament, the Minister of Trade and Industry, K.T Hammond said, “Stomach of animals, bladder and the chunk of intestines (yemuadie), the country had had to put in an amount of about $164 million towards the importation of these items. We are taking steps to ensure that in terms of rice, there’s no poverty of rice in the country.”
He emphasized, “By these restrictions, we are not going to ensure that there’s no food in the country at all; that is not the point at all. There have to be some efforts by the government to ensure that we go back to Acheampong’s operation feed yourself. There are about 22 items on the list, one of them, I think, is diapers.”
He announced the introduction of the Ghana Standards Authority Regulations 2023, which also seeks to streamline the manufacturing of cement to ensure competitive pricing.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says former President John Dramani Mahama does not understand the 24-hour economy policy he is proposing.
According to the Vice President, that policy is already being implemented in the country, as hospitals, fuel companies, among others, operate a 24-hour system.
Dr. Bawumia, therefore, urged Ghanaians to ignore Mahama during the 2024 polls since he has nothing new to offer and vote for the New Patriotic Party.
“John Mahama says he has a new idea. What is the idea? He says he wants a 24-hour economy. He doesn’t even understand that policy. Today in Ghana, our hospitals work 24 hours, our electricity company works 24 hours, our water company works 24 hours, our fuel stations work 24 hours, and many chop bars work 24 hours. Today because of digitalisation, you can transfer money 24 hours, you can receive money 24 hours… So he doesn’t understand his own policy. It doesn’t make sense.”
“So I want you to vote for me in 2024 because I will bring a new vision, I will bring a new policy. Mahama is the past, Dr Bawumia is the future. If John Mahama was there, we would say we have a dumsor economy, you can’t have a 24-hour economy in dumsor. So, you want to vote for Dr Bawumia in 2024, we will take the country to new heights,” Dr Bawumia stated.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has accused the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of pressuring the House to pass a number of bills under a certificate of urgency.
Mr. Bagbin cited bills such as the Affirmative Action Bill, which is allegedly being pushed by the IMF as part of the conditionality for the balance of the $3 billion credit facility for Ghana.
Speaking at the Speaker’s Breakfast Meeting on Monday, Alban Bagbin insisted that the House will not be coerced by the IMF to pass the bill.
“Even in this budget, you can see the arm of the IMF in a lot of provisions in the budget. A critical bill like the Affirmative Action Gender Equality Bill has come to Parliament under a certificate of urgency. Please, it won’t happen; we won’t pass it under a certificate of urgency.”
“There are critical stakeholders we must consult and make sure we go together. We will not be dictated by the IMF; that one, you can be assured. This is a very critical bill that the IMF should know that we need the buy-in of the stakeholders to be able to implement it,” Alban Bagbin said.
The Affirmative Action Bill, when passed into law, would seek to expunge the historically low representation of women in decision-making spaces and promote democracy and development through all-inclusive participation.
Flood victims of Mepe receive relief items from Gospel Singer Joe Mettle
Rising Ghanaian artiste Cee Levelz releases new single “Confused”
Gov’t to restrict importation of rice, ‘yemuadie’ and other products
Mahama doesn’t understand 24hr economy; don’t vote for him – Bawumia
