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ECG allays fears after military deployment in meter installation
The deployment and presence of military personnel in the Krobo district in the Tema region by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has sparked fears among some residents who are raising questions about the mission of the armed personnel.
However, the ECG has watered down the fears of those who might not be privy to the rationale behind the deployment.
In an interview with Joy Business, Tema Regional Public Relations Officer of ECG, Sakyiwaa Mensah, said the personnel are to augment staff and contractors installing meters in the district.
“We are working in collaboration with the officers from the 49 Field Engineers Regiment to provide technical assistance for the installation of prepaid meters.
“ECG has had a long standing relationship with the Ghana Army spanning over two decades. In February this year for instance, we had one with them through our ECG Training School in Tema,” she continued.
Aside 50 electrical engineers from 49 Field Engineers Regiment, the company has drawn 90 extra technical staff from across its operational areas and contractors as part of the deployment.
In December 2021, the power distributor began pre-installation survey and technical inspection of meters with 3,000 post-paid meters captured out of about 50,000 post-paid meters in the district.
Due to security challenges in the area, ECG field personnel and contractors are carrying out the exercise under armed police protection but this is said to be affecting the pace of the exercise,
“In other places, we usually are able to replace more than 300 meters in a day. The situation here is a bit slow due to lack of cooperation. For over two months, we could just install about 250 meters because of resistance,” Sakyiwaa lamented.
According to her, due to the lag in the exercise, the deployment will help them cover more grounds.
The company has received heavy backlash for its decision to introduce prepaid meters in Krobo district, despite having done same in other operational areas.
Some residents continue to accuse ECG of pushing the new meters down their throat but ECG strongly opposes this view.
It maintains it has since 2021 engaged relevant stakeholders including traditional authorities using various means including in person meetings, mass media, among others where necessary.
The Krobo enclave has drawn national attention over the last few years due to attempts by some residents to resist payment of power used since 2014.
As of December 2021, the district had a debt of about ¢70 million for power use from 2014-2017, but this has been ring-fenced after several multi-stakeholder engagements.
However, power used from 2018-2021 is to be paid in the next five years after engagement with stakeholders.
In what appears to be a direct response to deployment of electrical engineers from the 49 Field Engineers Regiment, some residents at Kpogunor in Manya Krobo hit the streets last week.
For them, it is surely going to be a showdown should any security agency or institution attempt installing the prepaid meters in their community.
The power distributor, however, seems unperturbed by the threats and not ready to blink first for carrying out a legitimate mandate.
ECG will, this, disconnect any customer who refuses the meters and will charge the customer for illegal connection should the customer reconnect.
The customer in this case will apply for the service should he or she decide to have meter after disconnection.
Source: www.adomonline.com
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
