President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has said the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) are the main problem concerning ECG’s fast-running prepaid meters.
Franklin Cudjoe explained that it is wrong for the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to punish consumers for consuming more power.
According to Franklin Cudjoe, Ghana is not a communist state that rations or gives quotas to each citizen, above which one is penalised.
He cited his own experience, when he bought a GHS 1500 power on February 16 but ran out just after 9 days.
He explained that the acting MD of ECG called a team of ECG engineers and inspectors from the Ghana Standards Authority to verify, where they explained to him that his consumption inched past the 300 band, which fell into a higher band of additional units that charged thrice.
Franklin Cudjoe added that the ECG engineers and inspectors from the Ghana Standards Authority concluded that PURC was the main problem, calling on the government to reinvest in fixing the power leakages and the old transformers.
In a post shared on social media, Franklin Cudjoe wrote, “When I shared the story of my electricity meter running riot, little did I know the Acting MD of ECG would call and send a crack team of ECG engineers and inspectors from the Ghana Standards Authority to verify.
Well, they explained why the GHS 1500 power I purchased on February 16 and ran out just after 9 days. That my power consumption prior to February 16 was within the bounds of 1 to 300 units, which returned an average of 30 cedis a day.
Sadly, the moment my consumption inched past the 300 band, even by a unit, I fell into a higher band or bracket with an additional unit almost charged thrice, hence the near 150 cedi charge per day my meter recorded. Now this is the problem. It is just wrong to punish consumers for consuming more power. We are not a communist state that rations or gives quotas to each citizen, above which one is penalised.
We concluded that PURC was the main problem.
I shared our disturbing findings with the PURC.
Today they offer some respite…let us enjoy but reinvest in fixing the power leakages and the old transformers”.
The IMANI President’s remarks follow the PURC, which has announced a reduction in electricity and water tariffs effective from April 1, 2026.
According to the PURC, its quarterly tariff review will reduce electricity tariffs by an average of 4.81 per cent, while water tariffs will be reduced by 3.06 per cent.
The PURC highlighted that the review was conducted in line with its mandate to adjust tariffs every quarter.
In a statement issued on Friday, March 13, the PURC stated, “The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) wishes to inform consumers of electricity and water that the existing electricity and water tariffs have been reviewed downwards to take effect from April 01, 2026”.
“The Commission applied a projected Weighted Average Ghana Cedi-US Dollar Exchange Rate of GHS11.1931/US$1.0000 for the second Quarter of 2026. This projected exchange rate is based on a 3- month Actual Inter-Bank Average Ghana Cedi-US Dollar Selling Exchange Rate for the period December 01, 2025, to February 28, 2026. This indicates a 6.78% reduction from the last Quarter rate of GHS12.0067/ US$1.0000,” the statement said.
See the post below:
When l shared the story of my electricity meter running riot, little did I know the Acting MD of ECG would call and send a crack team of ECG engineers and inspectors from the Ghana Standards Authourity to verify. Well they explained why the GaHS 1500 power I purchased on… pic.twitter.com/h8YZBRrGmD
— Franklin CUDJOE (@lordcudjoe) March 14, 2026