The Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama has watered down calls for the privatisation of the revenue collection function of the company.
This suggestion was made by some analysts on the back of the current impasse between the government and the Chamber of Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
Mr. Mahama also argued that ECG is now doing better now than when it was under Power Distribution Services (PDS) Limited.
In an interview with Selorm Adonoo on The Big Issue on Citi TV and Citi FM, ECG’s Managing Director insisted that the company in its current state is doing well.
He however acknowledged that there are challenges that need to be resolved after which, if it continues to record losses, the privatisation conversation can fairly kick in.
“ECG is doing far better now than when it was under PDS and there are certain operational dynamics that if we fix today, and we realise that there are still gaps in it, that is when we can start talking about privatisation.
“The calls for privatisation are too early because if you are privatising a company, and you don’t know the total number of customers, and you give it out, you have given out a gold mine.”
Mr. Mahama also expressed that the main goal of the company currently is to digitalise its operations in order to close the leakages to maximise revenue.
“We are in a phase where we are turning our operational mechanisms to become efficient like a 21st-century utility company and our dynamism in digitalising the whole system. That is what is going to close the gap quickly because after I got the data, one of my first problems was whether it was the tariff increment or the operational things we have clocked, we had to look at. And I will rather say it is operational, and I have said at every moment that I don’t believe in tariff increment, but I do believe that the tariff should be adjusted in terms of forex.”
