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No More Tariffs Increments; Ghanaians Are Already Struggling - Ayeh-Peye Pleads With ECG & GWCL

Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayensuano constituency, Samuel Ayeh-Paye, has called on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to rescind their demands for tariff incements.

The Electricity Company of Ghana is requesting 148% increase in utility prices while Ghana Water Company Limited also asks for 334% increase in water tariffs.

According to ECG, this demand is necessary due to cost of investments projects they are undertaking in order to be more efficient and render quality service, and on the part of Ghana Water Company, the cost of water production has gone high, hence the need for the over 300% increment.

“The objective underpinning this Tariff Proposal is to obtain a cost-reflective tariff that will enable GRIDCo improve the service levels and quality thresholds, and importantly enhance the company’s sustainability.

It has become increasingly expensive to maintain the legacy assets and upgrade the transmission infrastructure to reduce congestions within the National Interconnected Transmission System (NITS),” GRIDCo said in a proposal.

But Samuel Ayeh-Peye is earnestly pleading with the utility companies to be considerate with Ghanaians knowing that the citizens are already saddled with economic pressures that the incumbent government is doing everything possible to assuage.

He called on the two companies to instead of "increasing tariffs rather put pragmatic measures in place to stop the waste in the system".

He cited incidents where some consumers, particularly of electricity, have engaged in illegal connections and also done certain things to evade the payment of their bills which is significantly affecting the operations of the utility providers. 

He therefore called on the management of the companies to go after such people in order to control the waste.

He also noted that ECG and GWCL should ensure that government offsets its debts to the companies.

To Hon. Ayeh-Peye, "should the companies check the waste and also go after the debtors, there will be no need for such increments".

He made these submissions on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme.