Revenue mobilisation not mass disconnection — ECG

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) says the nationwide revenue mobilisation exercise it began yesterday is not a mass disconnection exercise to recover the debt owed by customers.

Rather, it said, the exercise was a normal business activity to mobilise revenue for the company to enable it to pay its suppliers, to whom it was indebted.

“If you owe us, we will look at the data, see how much you owe and the age of the indebtedness and then we will come and see you and talk to you about repayment,” the General Manager in charge of Public Relations at the ECG, Mr William Boateng, told the Daily Graphic.

The disconnection exercise, he said, was quite different from revenue mobilisation.

“The disconnection exercise is different from revenue mobilisation. In this instance of mobilising revenue, you have the data of the customer owing you, and because the bill is overdue and he or she is not paying, you just move in and disconnect the person, and that granted by law,” he said.

Read also: ECG goes after debtors on Monday

Different

Mr Boateng said the ECG had had to relax the revenue mobilisation measure because of the COVID-19 because protocols on the disease had to be observed, noting that now that the situation with the disease had improved with vaccination, the company had thought it wise to begin the exercise.

“We will come to you and show you what our data say. If you have anything contrary to that, you say it, and if you are ready to give us a cheque for the amount, we will be ready to accept it.

“But if you don’t tell us anything regarding the payment of your debt, then you are inviting us to come and disconnect you,” he said.

During such exercises, he said, many institutions tended to pay up when revenue officers from the ECG visited their premises.

Read also: GRIDCo in discussion with ECG over 'dumsor' timetable from April to July

Pay suppliers

The PRO of the ECG said the exercise generally was meant to raise money, so that the company could pay its suppliers, so that the business did not suffer hiccups.

”You pay us, so that we can also pay our suppliers for the business to run smoothly. We have to have money to pay the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCO) and independent power producers (IPPs) who are all depending on us,” he said.

A statement issued by the ECG informed its cherished customers and the public of the resumption of its normal revenue mobilisation exercise, effective April 12, this year.

The exercise, it said, would focus on all categories of customers in arrears and advised “all customers who owe the ECG ..... to pay up their bills”.

“Revenue mobilisation teams will be identified by their staff identity cards. Customers are thus strongly advised to inspect the ID cards of the teams before allowing them into their premises to avoid imposters. All the necessary COVID-19 protocols will be observed by our officers,” it said.