The General Manager of Human Resources Planning and Personnel Administration of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Head Office, Evelyn Owusu-Kwakye, has been appointed as the Director for Global Partnerships as well as a member of the Global Governing Council of the Young African Women Congress (YAWC) Network.

At the heart of its mandate, the Network indulges itself in the mobilisation of women from the grassroots level for leadership and development through advocacy, training and projects.

The appointment of Madam Owusu-Kwakye was contained in a letter addressed to her by the Founder and Executive Chairperson of the YAWC Network, Mr. Daniel Osei Tuffuor, in which he commended her on her appointment and wished her well in her new roles. Her appointment is for a period of two years renewable upon completion of a tenure.

As a member of the YAWC Network Global Governing Council, Madam Owusu-Kwakye will be expected to contribute to the development and implementation of the organization's short term, medium term and long-term strategic plans, including setting goals and objectives and ensuring that they are achieved; analyse impact trends and industry developments to inform strategic decision- making; participate in the review, discussion, and approval of policies and procedures that govern the organization's operations; as well as ensure policies are aligned with the organization's mission and legal requirements.

As part of her key responsibilities, she will be expected to lead the identification, evaluation, and negotiation of local and global partnership opportunities in line with organizational goals; build and nurture long-term relationships with local and international

partners, including strategic organizations, government entities, and industry leaders; develop and execute a comprehensive local and global partnership strategy that drives revenue, organizational impact, and brand presence; as well as serve as the primary point of contact for global partners, ensuring consistent communication and fostering positive relationships.

About Madam Evelyn Owusu-Kwakye

Prior to her role at the Electricity Company of Ghana, she had worked with several reputable brands and organizations such as Hotel Shangri-La, as Assistant Head, Human Resources and Administration; Environmental Solutions as Administrative Officer; Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services; and also with SPORTNET Ghana.

She holds an EMBA in Human Resources Management from the University of Ghana Business School; an Executive Certificate in Counselling from the College of Counselling & Psychology, (CCP) affiliated with the Trinity Theological Seminary in Legon, Accra; a certificate in Development Studies from the Trent University in Canada; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Ghana.

Source: www.myjoyonline.com

Pupils from five basic schools in the New Juaben South and New Juaben North municipalities in the Eastern Region have been taken through career guidance and counselling to prepare them as they climb the academic ladder.

The schools are the Riis Model Basic A, B and C, the Asokore SDA College Demonstration, the Freeman Methodist Basic A & B School, the Agavenya R/C Basic School and the Future Kings and Queen International School.

The exercise was also to help dispel the fear associated with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, which most pupils and students, especially females do not want to go into.

The programme, which took place last Thursday in Koforidua, was organised by the Gender and Social Inclusion Unit of the Electricity Company of Ghana in collaboration with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Women in Engineering (WINE) and was on the theme; "Unpacking STEM Careers: The Power of Diversity and Inclusion in Shaping the Future".

The learners, who were eager to learn STEM subjects, asked some questions on the issue which were answered to their satisfaction.

They, therefore, expressed delight not to shun away from STEM.

Most of the speakers were female engineers of the ECG and the Volta River Authority (VRA) who acted as role models for the female pupils to emulate.

Break barriers

Addressing the pupils in Koforidua, the General Manager in charge of External Communications of the ECG, Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku, who read the speech of the acting Managing Director of the company, said pupils, especially young girls had the power to break barriers, challenge stereotypes and redefine what it meant to be a scientist, an engineer, a technologist or a mathematician.

He indicated that the journey to be in any of such fields seemed to be doubted and that most often, society was with the belief that STEM did not belong to girls.

Dream big

Mr Ayiku, however, stated that every great invention or groundbreaking discovery normally starts with a dream and that they should work hard to ensure that their dreams become a reality saying they should not allow anyone or anything to discourage them.

He entreated parents and educators to always be the backbone of the young ones, especially the girls by giving them encouragement, guidance and belief in their abilities to help them soar to greater heights.

Enabling environment

The future, he stated, was for the young ones and was not something to wait for but rather something to create and that by empowering them, they would be creating a future for them.

Shine brightly

Mr Ayiku asked the learners to do their best to break barriers and shine brightly, adding that it was theirs to conquer.

The Eastern Region Lead Person of Women in Engineering Ghana (WINE), Akosua Owusu-Efa, who read the speech of the President of WINE, Dr Enyonam Kpekpena, said there was the need to tap the potential of women in the fields of STEM.

She added that when women were included and empowered, it would unlock their full potential in STEM to represent humanity and at the same time reflect the diversity of their experiences, thoughts and approaches to shape their future.

Ambition 

Dr Kpekpena further stated that as women engineers, they believed that guidance, mentorship and determination could transform young girls to step confidently into STEM careers with ambition and courage.

She encouraged the girls not to allow fear or doubt to hold them back, as well as other challenges because many opportunities awaited them.

Source: www.graphic.com.gh

“We are upgrading a transformer from 66MVA to 145MVA, which essentially increases electricity capacity in Kumasi to accommodate rising demand. The existing capacity is quite constrained, and with the rapid development in the city, this upgrade is necessary to expand the system’s capacity,” he stated.

He assured customers of ECG’s commitment to improving service delivery and urged road and building contractors to consult ECG before beginning construction, as many power cables have been installed underground.

Additionally, he appealed to customers to pay their electricity bills promptly to support ongoing repair and expansion efforts.

Source: www.adomonline.com

Ing. Julius Kpekpena has been appointed as the acting Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) replacing Ing. David Asamoah.

He faces the significant challenge of revitalizing the company, which is grappling with operational difficulties and struggling to maintain a stable power supply amid ongoing privatization discussions.

Since September 26, 2024, David Asamoah has been serving as ECG’s Acting Managing Director following the resignation of Samuel Dubik Mahama.

The Electricity Company of Ghana has raised concerns over an alarming rate of meter tampering across the country, leading to a surge in technical losses for the company.

Addressing the concern at a press conference on Monday, February 3, the company revealed that in Dansoman alone, approximately 10% of the 70,000 installed meters have been tampered with, causing them to under-record electricity consumption.

Acting Managing Director of ECG, David Boadi Asamoah, issued a stern warning, emphasizing that anyone caught engaging in such illegal activities would face the full force of the law.

“We will conduct thorough investigations, and there are laws in this country. After our investigations, law enforcement agencies like the police will take over.

“Once the police complete their work, the case will proceed to court, where the law on the case will be applied because this is stealing it’s a criminal offence,” he stated.

He further assured that no one involved whether a contractor, electrician, or customer would be spared.

“I must assure you, that the ECG will not spare anybody, being it a contractor, an electrician or whosoever if you are caught in this you will not be spared, so from what we have seen, we will run after them and the beneficiary will also have their share ”

David Boadi Asamoah lamented the impact of such unpatriotic acts on ECG’s operations, stating that collusion between customers and some contract workers to manipulate meters is undermining the company’s financial stability and, by extension, the country’s economic growth.

He bemoaned the fact that such unpatriotic behaviour by customers who collude with contract workers of ECG to render meters dysfunctional is affecting their operations and, by extension, eroding the gains of the state.

The government has set in motion plans to privatize ECG to cut losses and enhance efficiency. Despite a divided front on this subject, ECG, in its current state, is struggling due to numerous illegal activities and power theft.

The Acting Managing Director, Asamoah, called for a robust plan to curb system losses.

Source: www.citinewsroom.com

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) office in the Western Region, has received some GH¢9.7 million to boost operations within the 11 districts under its jurisdiction. 

Mr. Emmanuel Justice Ofori, the General Manager, ECG, Western region, who announced this said the money would largely be channeled into 22 high profile projects to ensure that citizens within the region had stable light to operate their businesses and power other sectors of the local economy.  

Mr. Ofori during a media engagement held on Thursday January 30, 2025, at the Regional Office in Takoradi, said the company would also work tirelessly to achieve the GH¢41-million weekly revenue target for the region. 

The Western Regional General Manager of the ECG was not happy that some communities like new Takoradi continued to resist the change for a new meter. 

He mentioned that one disheartening community concern was cable theft and vandalism of substations of the company, which continued to add cost to their operations.  

Mr Ofori announced that the ECG also operated a premium service for new service connection and a Mobile App for easy purchases.  

Mr. Kofi Gyan, the District Manager of ECG, Sekondi, commended the media for their support in creating awareness of interventions by the Company in the region over the years.  

Source: GNA 

The government’s proposals to privatize the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have drawn criticism from the Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC-Ghana).

The Energy Minister has established a committee to further the privatization process, according to a PUWU statement.

We want to reassure our members that we are determined to oppose any government attempt to privatize ECG. According to the statement, PUWU has not yet been involved as a significant stakeholder.

“Members are kindly requested to remain calm while we take appropriate steps towards achieving our goal. All should be on standby for any further direction,”

Read PUWU full statement below:

Source: www.ghanatodayonline.com

The Electricity Company of Ghana will from today embark on a massive revenue mobilisation exercise to retrieve money owed by customers in its operational areas.

The exercise dubbed “Operation Keep The Lights On”, would focus on all categories of customers indebted to the company.

The Director of Communications of the ECG, William Boateng, who confirmed this to the Daily Graphic, said the target for the two-week exercise was to raise GH¢200 million.

After the two weeks, he said the company would access the exercise and see what it had done so far and then plan ahead again. The ECG has since March 2023 been embarking on debt retrieval exercises in a bid to get customers to pay up for the power they have consumed.

“When we go round, we would also pay attention to the prepaid customers to reduce our commercial losses by checking the integrity of their meters,” he said. 

Target

Mr Boateng said the target of the exercise was the postpaid customers who were in the numbers of 2,127,936, made up of special load tariff (SLT) and non-SLT customers.

He said the company did not have much problem with the SLT customers which were the industries and manufacturing companies since it had a direct relationship with them thereby making it easy to collect their bills with them and that the focus was on the non-SLT customers, made up of small entities and domestic customers.

He explained that as and when the company was able to replace the meters, it would be adding on based on its analyses and what it had done on the ground.

Mandate

Mr Boateng said the mandate of the company, among other things, was to bill customers and collect the revenue and that while some persons had consumed power, they were not paying and so those were the ones the company would be going after, effective today, January 15, 2025.

He pleaded with members of the public not to tamper with the company’s meters and that with electricity being the driver of the economy, they should pay whenever they consumed power.

He explained that aside from increasing its revenue, the company had to ensure that it paid its suppliers and distribution companies such as the independent power producers.

“As we speak now, we are confronted with the issue of keeping the lights on. In the wake of that, we as a company are meant to assist with financial assistance when it comes to the purchase of fuel,” he said.

Illegal

Ahead of the Operation Keep the Lights On, the power distributor has reminded customers that self-reconnection after disconnection is a criminal offence and will attract legal consequences.

The Director of Communications said regional and district offices would operate with reduced staff during the exercise to allow full participation by senior management and staff while continuing to provide essential services to customers.

"ECG wishes to state that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission's LI (2413) gives us full access to all our installations, therefore, customers and the general public are being advised to cooperate with ECG to carry out our mandate," Mr Boateng emphasised.

Source: www.graphic.com.gh

SPECIFIC PROCUREMENT NOTICE

GHANA ENERGY SECTOR RECOVERY PROGRAM – INVESTMENT PROJECT FINANCING (IPF COMPONENT) (PROJECT ID: P173258)

REQUEST FOR BIDS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING

Reference No.: GH-ECG-423411-GO-RFB

SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF SMART PREPAID METERS TO THE ELECTRICITY COMPANY OF GHANA (BID No. ECG/GESRP-IPF/GO/2024/01)

Issued on: 13th January, 2025

This Request for Bids follows the general procurement notice for this project that appeared on the World Bank’s website, Notice no. OP00285389 of 21st April 2024.

Click here to Download

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is preparing to pilot a new pre-payment system to enhance service delivery to its clients in the Volta Region.

The General Manageress of ECG, incharge of the Volta and Oti Regions, Christina Kaleo-Jatoe who announced this at a press engagement said the pilot project would commence in the first quarter of 2025.

She said the project is targeted at resolving the challenges of non-smart meter clients being unable to purchase prepaid credit at odd hours.

She detailed that the pilot project would start with 200 meters in the Ho and Hohoe Districts before being expanded to other parts of the Volta Region.

https://www.myjoyonline.com/ecg-to-pilot-new-pre-payment-system-in-volta-region-in-2025/

“When we return from the break, we will pilot about 200 meters. Before we do these things, we do a piloting, we don't just start. The piloting will help us to see some of the challenges that we are likely to encounter, and we use that opportunity to address them before we roll out.

“So, when that is done, Volta we will be starting a new payment system. This means we will replace all the existing old prepaid systems. Most of them are not functioning well and then we roll out from Ho going out. For now, we have two main districts that are on prepaid, Ho and Hohoe. So, we start with them and then bring other districts on board”, she said.

She further indicated that the strength of network connectivity would inform a decision to expand the service to cover a particular jurisdiction since the system solely depends on the internet to render services.

The Volta and Oti Regional Commercial Manager Solomon Adziku, explained that customers on non-smart prepaid meters would need a smartphone and the Brassica App to be able to access the system.

He said the App available on Play and App Stores has been designed to enable subscribers to purchase credit through mobile money wallets on any network of their choice.

“When you have this, [Brassica prepaid card reader] you wouldn't need to go to any vendor, you download the app on your phone and just insert this [Brassica prepaid card reader] into your phone and put the card in it and then you buy right from your MoMo”, he explained.

The power distribution company is also undertaking some injection works by expanding power supply, upgrading transformers, building substations, and double satisfier lines to ensure uninterrupted power supply to clients in the Volta and Oti Regions.

Source: www.myjoyonline.com