The interventions made by the Greater Accra Regional Office of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) last year saved the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) about GH¢4.5 million in revenue. Similarly, the commission’s interventions enabled customers to receive refunds amounting to GH¢176,000.
The Greater Accra Regional Manager of the PURC, Mrs Gifty Bruce-Nelson, disclosed this at a press briefing on Thursday on the commission’s 2025 operational activities. She noted that, but for the commission’s interventions, ECG would have lost substantial revenue.
Mrs Bruce-Nelson said the Greater Accra Regional Office of the PURC received 1,178 complaints in 2025, covering a range of issues relating to electricity and water services. Out of the total number, she explained that 1,107 complaints were lodged against the ECG and the Ghana Water Limited (GWL), while 71 complaints were filed by the utility providers against consumers, mainly for non-payment of bills and illegal connections. She stated that 1,136 of the complaints were successfully resolved, representing a resolution rate of 96 per cent.
Providing a breakdown, Mrs Bruce-Nelson indicated that 888 complaints were made against ECG, 219 against GWL, while the utilities themselves lodged 71 complaints against consumers. “In percentage terms, ECG recorded the highest number of complaints at 75 per cent, followed by Ghana Water at 19 per cent, while complaints by utilities against consumers accounted for six per cent,” she mentioned.
Mrs Bruce-Nelson attributed the high number of complaints to increased public awareness and the use of multiple reporting platforms, particularly digital channels. She explained that the commission had established WhatsApp platforms with assembly members across the region, enabling residents to lodge complaints conveniently. According to her, this initiative had significantly reduced the number of written complaints, as more consumers now preferred to use social media and other electronic means to report issues.
She added that complaints were received through three main channels: reported cases (where consumers first contact utility providers but remain dissatisfied), direct complaints lodged at PURC offices or during field visits, and those gathered through monitoring exercises. Additionally, Mrs Bruce-Nelson noted that while the commission encouraged consumers to first report grievances to utility providers as required by law, it did not turn away complainants who approached it directly.
She said the commission also undertook “mystery shopping” exercises, where officers posed as customers to assess the response. “These exercises help us identify gaps in customer service delivery and ensure that corrective measures are implemented,” she added.
Mrs Bruce-Nelson said the Greater Accra Regional Office undertook a number of education and sensitisation programmes to educate customers on their rights and also elicit their concerns for redress.
Touching on the nature of complaints, she cited issues such as billing disputes, faulty or estimated billing, illegal connections, damaged property, and delays in new service connections. Mrs Bruce-Nelson urged consumers to make use of the commission’s complaint channels, including its toll-free lines, to seek redress, stressing that improved reporting would enhance service delivery and accountability in the utilities sector.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
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