Dear Editor,

On February 18, 2020, the former Vice Pres­ident, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, launched the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) PowerApp, a mobile application designed in-house by staff of ECG.

It was to improve its service delivery to its customers.

The development of the app also meant that custom­ers of ECG would now have the opportunity to purchase power and pay bills using their mobile phones.

That means customers of ECG would no longer have to join long queues to purchase power, but could now do that at their own convenience and in the comfort of their homes.

According to the Communi­cation Officer, the PowerApp has increased annual revenue growth for the company.

He said as of April 2024, the new application system had increased its annual revenue growth by 128 per cent as compared to the old sys­tem at nega­tive seven per cent.

Despite these reasons for which the app was de­veloped and the benefits it has brought to ECG, there have been growing con­cerns among a section of the public on its use.

Some have argued that they were not credited after using the app to recharge their pre­paid meter while the money was deducted from their MoMo accounts.

Such experience has made some customers vow not use the app to recharge their prepaid meters but rather go to prepaid vendors nearby to purchase credit. Some are even prepared to travel to far places to purchase prepaid credits.

I think such experience does not speak well of ECG because it could affect public trust in the company in its service de­livery. This is the more reason why the ECG has to take the concerns raised by its custom­ers seriously.

Kofi Bruce,

Mampong

In last week’s edition of The Spec­tator, we published a story head­lined “Meat singed with car tires dangerous” which was attributed to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

Meats that have been heated to eliminate hair, shrink the skin, and give it a clean appearance are known as singed meats.

According to the report, eating meat that has been singed, espe­cially from burning tyres, can be dangerous because it may contain heavy metals that can build up in the body and damage organs like the kidneys.

A collaborative investigation conducted by Kwame Nkrumah Uni­versity of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, and the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, led to this discovery.

It was discovered that meats smoked with car tyres contained dangerous amounts of chemicals that cause cancer. This should be a health issue for everyone, particu­larly in places where inappropriate smoking is prevalent.

Additionally, the study found that meats smoked with car tyres in Ghana have high concentrations of dangerous compounds that raise the risk of cancer.

Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the harm­ful effects of these compounds, according to the researchers who examined meats smoked using fuel sources such as firewood, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and car tyres.

This is due to the fact that burning tyres generates heavy metals that can taint meat and, if consumed, can lead to neurological issues, developmental problems in children, and renal damage – all of which are currently major health concerns in Ghana – among other serious health effects.

They consequently called for stronger regulations to stop the use of car tyres for singeing and sug­gested that safer alternatives, such as LPG, be used for singeing meat, particularly in abattoirs.

They also emphasised the urgent need to investigate and promote alternative singeing techniques. However, according to the experts, LPG can be suggested as a safer substitute for conventional fuels like firewood and car tyres.

The Spectator agrees with the researchers’ recommendations that, in order to safeguard the public’s health and guarantee that custom­ers are not exposed to dangerous compounds, authorities should implement stronger rules govern­ing the use of car tyres for meat singeing and impose severe fines for noncompliance.