Former Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Board Chair Alexander Afenyo-Markin has urged the power distributor to address revenue leakages and operational inefficiencies before seeking further tariff increases from consumers.
He said ECG’s financial difficulties required structural reforms rather than continued reliance on higher electricity tariffs, arguing that consumers should not bear the cost of inefficiencies within the company.
“ECG must close its revenue leakages before it reaches for tariff increases or new levies,” he said in remarks delivered at a luncheon for former ECG managing directors and board chairpersons at the Accra Marriott Hotel on September 23, 2026.
Mr Afenyo-Markin, who served as board chair from September 2024 until January 2025, said Ghanaian consumers had absorbed tariff increases exceeding 28 per cent over the preceding 19 months, making further increases an inadequate response to the company’s structural problems.
He cited ECG’s reported financial performance for 2025 as evidence that operational reforms could improve its position. According to figures he referenced from the company’s annual general meeting, its loss after tax fell from GH¢8.25 billion in 2024 to GH¢2.52 billion in 2025, while revenue increased from GH¢19.6 billion to GH¢22.1 billion.
New electricity connections also rose by 31.3 per cent to 222,979, while prepaid customers accounted for 53.5 per cent of ECG’s customer base, he said.
Mr Afenyo-Markin attributed the improvements partly to the Loss Reduction Programme introduced in 2023 to address faulty meters, outdated billing and illegal connections.
He warned, however, that the gains would not be sustained unless ECG tackled inaccurate billing, under-billing, unbilled customers and weaknesses in its customer records.
ECG serves more than three million customers. Mr Afenyo-Markin estimated that if five per cent of its customer meters were faulty, at least 150,000 accounts could be affected by inaccurate billing.
He proposed an integrated revenue-protection system incorporating a central customer database, smart prepaid meters with remote monitoring, geographic information system mapping, digital payment platforms and data analytics to detect abnormal consumption.
He also called for stronger field inspections, improved revenue collection controls, protection for whistle-blowers and consistent penalties for repeat offenders.
On ECG’s debt, the former board chair said unpaid bills and revenue shortfalls had wider implications for public finances, delaying grid maintenance and critical upgrades while contributing to arrears owed to power producers.
He proposed strict enforcement of the revised Cash Waterfall Mechanism, renegotiation of legacy take-or-pay power purchase agreements on take-and-pay terms, and automatic monthly deductions by the Ministry of Finance to settle electricity bills owed to ECG by public institutions.
Mr Afenyo-Markin also highlighted procurement reforms he said he led during his tenure. He said the board changed an arrangement under which vendors could present bills of lading for goods delivered to the port without adequate verification of actual delivery to ECG.
Under the revised approach, he said, contractual completion and payment were tied to verified delivery at ECG’s own facilities.
He argued that ECG’s recovery required a shift from relying on tariff increases and periodic government bailouts to stronger operational governance, revenue protection and financial discipline.
He made the remarks after receiving an invitation from ECG Managing Director Kwame Kpekpena to participate in the September 23 luncheon, which brought together former managing directors and board chairpersons to share perspectives on the company’s future.
