Former Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, has stated that under-declaring revenues is not a criminal offence.
He responded to a recent report claiming that ECG had failed to account for millions of generated revenue, saying there was no issue with this.
In an interview with JoyNews’ Kofi Kyei on The Pulse on Thursday, January 16, Mahama defended his time at ECG, explaining that discrepancies occurred because the company had to cover its expenses, like salaries, before submitting revenue to the government.
“Let’s look at the salary bill of ECG. Let’s consider how much ECG needs to keep the lights on in your districts, including maintenance on the lines. Where do you expect ECG to get that money from if ECG gives all the money it receives away?” he argued.
Mr. Mahama also explained that the under-declaration was due to several factors, such as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, where the rising value of the US dollar increases the cost of the cedi.
The 2025 Ghana Energy Sector Recovery Programme(GESRP) report reveals that ECG under-declared a total of GH₵490 million between October and December 2023.
Former Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, has emphasized that private sector involvement already exists within ECG’s operations, specifically at the metering level.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s ‘The Point of View’ with Bernard Avle, Mahama questioned the necessity for further privatization, noting that significant progress has been made during his tenure.
“I do admit that there are a few inefficiencies in the company, and in the same way, there are a few efficiencies. Now before you do any private sector privatization, what are the benchmarks? Let’s not forget there is already private sector participation in ECG,” Mahama stated.
He highlighted a loss reduction initiative under which ECG collaborated with seven local metering companies, eliminating the need for large capital expenditure on meter procurement.
Mahama further explained, “What we then did was to give them a locality to install their meters. And that is private sector participation. If you do the math very well, you realise that it saved us a lot. More than almost 50% in how much you now have to borrow and all those administrative costs.”
Addressing broader financial challenges facing ECG, Mahama pointed to foreign exchange constraints. “The first one is forex… you buy the electricity in dollars and you come to sell it in cedis. And you go and look for requisite dollars to go and pay,” he said.
He raised concerns about the sustainability of the current model, particularly the capacity to secure sufficient foreign exchange to pay Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
He expressed frustration over the practice of individuals relying on political figures to intercede on their behalf, describing it as inappropriate.
Mahama also lamented the tendency of some to politicize electricity matters because of their connections with influential leaders.
“I will appeal that we don’t politicise power. You go and take your money, then they try to call big politicians to intervene; let us not politicise power,” he is quoted as saying by 3news.com.
Meanwhile, speaking on how digitalisation has made their services easier and more convenient for Ghanaians, he noted that customers can now receive a new meter within just 7 days.
He,therefore, warned Ghanaians not to fall victim to middlemen who charge large amounts of money for their services.
“The online application for matter is effective, you can use *226 to apply. With the loss reduction programme, it should take you a minimum of one week to acquire the metre after payment. This is for a new service connection, you build a new house and need a meter, you will get it in seven days.
“We know that there are goroboys in the system and so we have started our premium service. If you need a meter immediately don’t pay to any goroboy.
“Under PURC single face, you pay GHC 1200 to ECG, you pay this online. The 3-phase metre is GHC 2300. I will urge the public to use the app or go to the ECG offices and pay what the PURC has approved. Let us use the right channels,” he added.
A user on the X platform, @OhMenua has alleged that certain government officials are putting in much effort to oust the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, from his position.
The user mentioned the Finance Minister-Designate, Mohammed Amin Adam, Railway Minister, Peter Amewu, the Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, Ishmeal Ackah as individuals against the ECG boss.
The individual added that these officials who were once directors of the The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) are getting the support from the Executive Director, Benjamin Boakye, to orchestrate the ousting of the ECG boss.
“Mafia CSOs! They topple certain govt officials to create jobs for themselves. Finance Minister Amin Anta, Railway minister Peter Amewu, PURC Executive Sec. Ishmeal Ackah, were all directors at ACEP n are workn with the current DG Ben to oust ECG Boss! Mafia!!!,” the X user wrote.
Mafia CSOs! They topple certain govt officials to create jobs for themselves. Finance Minister Amin Anta, Railway minister Peter Amewu, PURC Executive Sec. Ishmeal Ackah, were all directors at ACEP n are workn with the current DG Ben to oust ECG Boss! Mafia!!!
Recently, ACEP criticized the power distributing company for its failure to provide a load-shedding timetable amidst the escalating power outages, commonly known as ‘dumsor.’
During a press briefing, ACEP’s Policy Lead for Petroleum and Conventional Energy, Kodzo Yaotse, condemned ECG’s perceived incompetence, attributing it to the company’s monopoly in the power distribution sector.
He further criticized ECG for demonstrating regulatory reluctance, suggesting political interference from the Energy Minister, who may be hesitant to acknowledge the severity of the situation.
Mr Yaotse expressed concern that without separating the political management of ECG from its technical operations, the issuance of a load-shedding timetable may continue to be delayed.
“They [ECG] are just lucky that they have a monopoly over the service that they provide for us. If there was competition in the distribution of power in this country, I am sure ECG would have lost all of its customers by now to a more efficient and competent power supplier.
“To the extent that ECG is exhibiting some regulatory recalcitrance and also with the blessing of the Energy Minister, who is a politician by the way and would never want to admit that we are in this fix, we may not see a timetable until we are able to isolate the political management of ECG from the technical management of ECG.”
User on the X platform has indicated that the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, (ECG) Samuel Dubik Mahama is actively pursuing initiatives aimed at modernizing Ghana’s energy infrastructure and improving the reliability of the power supply.
However, his efforts are being impeded by certain individuals from both the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The user suggests that these individuals’ actions aim to thwart and frustrate the managing director of the ECG into resigning from office.
Taking to the X platform he wrote “Truth of the matter is, the current young ECG boss is trying to do something different to save Ghana from the chronic power crisis but Noo, the old folks and wicked NPP and NDC politicians/businessmen want him out. How can we progress?”.
Over the past few weeks, the nation has experienced widespread power outages, commonly known as “dumsor.”
In light of these interruptions, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) instructed ECG to devise a load-shedding schedule. Nonetheless, ECG asserts that there is no power crisis, citing faulty transformers as the cause of the unstable supply.
However, ECG contends there is no power crisis, attributing the unstable supply to faulty transformers.
In a rebuttal, Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh rejected claims of “dumsor,” urging the public to create their own timetable if they perceive a crisis.
John Jinapor argues that the energy sector grapples with generation challenges affecting distribution. He recommends that PURC prioritize improving generation instead of enforcing a load-shedding schedule.
Speaking to the media, Jinapor criticized the Minister’s response, accusing him of politicizing sector issues.
Executive Director of the Institute of Energy Security, Nana Amoasi VII, echoes Jinapor’s position, asserting that ECG and the Energy Ministry have a duty to furnish a timetable amid outages.
Nana Amoasi VII condemned the Minister’s dismissal of calls for a timetable, suggesting it reflects a lack of awareness and disrespect for consumers’ rights.
“I am very, very surprised even at the PURC directive because the main problem is generation, it has nothing to do with transformers. I thought that the PURC would have done its investigation to indeed determine that there is a generation shortfall.
“If there is a generation shortfall, the outage that occurs at the bulk supply point is controlled by GRIDCo. So GRIDCo will then have to inform ECG which bulk supply point will go off, then ECG will inform its consumers. As we speak there is a deficit in terms of generation and until that is resolved we will continue to have the load shedding we are experiencing.”
“I am very shocked and surprised that the minister would give such contradictory and counter instructions. He should know better that we are shedding load, and even in his interview, he couldn’t refute it. He admitted that yes, they are shedding load, but in his opinion, it is better than during President Mahama’s time. And so what? That is the question. Let’s assume it’s better, so people should not be given a timetable to plan because, in the minister’s opinion, it is better.
“If you admit there is load-shedding, give the people the timetable to plan. And when the people request that the outages are becoming too frequent, give us the timetable to plan, the minister says ‘that those requesting the timetable should go and prepare the timetable themselves. It is extremely unfortunate, very insulting,” he added.
Truth of the matter is, the current young ECG boss is trying to do something different to save Ghana from the chronic power crisis but Noo, the old folks and wicked NPP and NDC politicians/businessmen want him out. How can we progress?
The recent power outages experienced in parts of Accra and other regions in Ghana have been attributed to maintenance issues by the Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama.
Communities across various regions have endured erratic power supply for several weeks without prior notice from ECG, leading to frustration among residents.
Addressing the issue on Starr Chat with Bola Ray on Thursday, February 29, 2024, Mr Mahama clarified that the power outages were not due to fuel shortages but rather maintenance challenges faced by ECG.
“We are having major maintenance issues, the issue we are having now has nothing to do with fuel. You are relying on a power plant that is to give you about 360 megawatts then around 4 pm the gas emergency safety valve has a problem. What do you do? It is a machine,” Mr. Mahama explained.
He further expressed regret over the lack of communication from ECG regarding the ongoing maintenance issues, acknowledging that the company should have provided timely updates to the public.
“I must apologize to Ghanaians, when it started we should actually have the confidence to have a chat with everybody and actually put out a statement,” Mr. Mahama stated.
The assurance from the Managing Director comes as a relief to many affected residents, who have been grappling with the inconvenience caused by the power outages.
ECG has assured that efforts are underway to resolve the maintenance challenges and restore stable power supply to affected areas as soon as possible.
The Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, issued an apology for the unjust sale of unapproved meters by certain ECG employees to potential customers.
He expressed his awareness of this misconduct by unscrupulous staff, which deeply saddened him. Samuel Dubik Mahama also expressed disappointment that customers had to endure such dishonest and unjust transactions with these individuals.
In an interview with Joy News, he said,“It’s so sad that customers have to go through something like this. It’s so sad staff of ECG will collect money like this and not even a quarter of that money comes into ECG’s coffers.
“I must categorically apologize to our customers who’ve gone through this, this is not supposed to be how we do business. We are very sorry, and we intend to fix this problem.”
Mr. Mahama stated that after identifying the problem, one of the first things he did was to start the loss reduction programme. He explained that the procedures for obtaining a metre have been structured under the loss reduction programme so that they are electronic.
“… The human interface has been reduced drastically, where it is only the point where the certified Energy Commission electrician and the estimator goes to the area to verify the location of the property. But it is clear that once you close one loophole, another one comes up.
“Because from one of the videos, you can clearly see the electrician, who is certified by the Energy Commission, now having to create his own group of people and they now collect ahead of to see how they can fast-track your service delivery. It’s sad, it’s difficult but it’s not something we cannot do.”
The Volta Regional Office of theElectricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has begun rejecting cash payments at several service centers.
This change comes as a result of a nationwide directive to implement a cashless system in all ECG offices throughout the country.
Although some customers may need time to adjust, they are optimistic that this new method will eventually provide a more convenient way of purchasing power.
After almost two years of piloting, the cashless system is fully being implemented, resulting in the cessation of cash payments at all 300 ECG offices nationwide.
The Managing Director of ECG,Samuel Dubik Mahama, stated that this move aims to enhance the efficiency of the power distribution company’s revenue collection efforts.
The company has been conducting extensive training programs for customers who are unfamiliar with the new policy.
Customers who arrive with cash are now directed to deposit the funds into their mobile money accounts before receiving any services.
The Managing Director of theElectricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, has stated that the recent power shortages in several sections of the country have been dealt with.
Debilitating power cuts have been recorded in parts of the country in recent weeks with residents fuming over the unannounced intermittent outages.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, May 11, Mr Dubik Mahama assured that the situation has been resolved.
“There was a low-pressure power issue that led to us having to dump some power, over 2230 megawatts of power two days ago. Steps have been taken, and some alternative fuel has been brought in”.
“But as we speak the matter has been resolved largely. There is enough heavy fuel with AKSA and there is some diesel with CEM power, so we will not have such problems down the line, but we have to make sure that at every point in time, there is enough fuel for this situation.”
Meanwhile, the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) has blamed the situation on challenges with the gas pipeline from Nigeria.
In an interview with the media, the Corporate Communications Manager of GRIDCo, Dzifa Bampoh assured of efforts to resolve the challenges.
She apologised to Ghanaians for the challenges associated with the power supply.
“We had a gas supply challenge from Nigeria. That has been the fundamental reason, and it has led to a multiplier effect, meaning our generating plants which use gas cannot operate fully.”.
“On Monday and Wednesday, we had challenges getting a full-capacity of power supply and that is why there has been intermittent power supply. We apologise to Ghanaians for it, because ultimately, if there’s going to be any shortage even if it’s for a day, we are obliged to inform Ghanaians.”
The amount was realized from an initial target of GH5.7 billion in unpaid bills owed to the electricity distribution firm by people and businesses as of the exercise’s start on March 20, this year.
The corporation has set aside the last week of every month for revenue mobilization in an endeavor to recover the outstanding GH 2.6 billion.
However, about GH¢1.5 billion of the unretrieved debts which were owed by collapsed companies and postpaid users affected by either demolition exercises or floods had been considered as bad debt by the company.
Homes and other properties of the defaulting individual customers were also either non-existent or could not be traced.
According to the Managing Director of ECG, Samuel Dubik Mahama, who disclosed this at a news conference in Accra yesterday, over 200 of the collapsed firms owed the company GH¢780 million, while that of postpaid users amounted to GH¢750 million.
He said that the company would use every legal means possible to retrieve the debts, including seeking help from the receiver of the collapsed firms.
Exercise
Mr Mahama described the debt recovery exercise which started from March 20, 2023 – April 20, 2023 as successful.
“In the last week of every month, we will also undertake an exercise to identify customers who have not been captured in our books and include them for efficient revenue collection,” he added.
The MD also said that the revenue assurance unit of the company would ensure that bills were issued promptly for postpaid customers, adding that they were also designing a bill system that would check the reading of prepaid meters to tackle illegalities and losses.
Meter shortages
To address the issue of meter shortages, he said the company had introduced a loss reduction programme which had already started serving customers in the Accra East District.
“And so meters are now available and those who applied for them are getting served, but it is not moving fast enough because we are dealing with only local manufacturers.
“I will, therefore, like to inform customers that have applied for meters to visit the offices of ECG immediately for proper reconciliation,” Mr Mahama said.
He, however, said the company would soon start a flat rate service to bill consumers without meters.
Energy Minister, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempehhas stated that Ghana cannot support the practice of some citizens not paying their electricity bills.
To that end, he said, he fully supports the step taken by theElectricity Company of Ghana(ECG) to retrieve funds owed the company.
The action of the ECG, he said was part of the overarching effort in ensuring that the company remained viable to deliver efficient service to consumers.
Dr. Prempeh said these when he led the ECG’s revenue protection taskforce to two companies that owed the company various sums of money.
The Minister during these two engagements bemoaned the situation where companies piled up bills for a very long time and refuse to pay.
“As a country we cannot continue to countenance the attitude of non-payment of bills, among other illegalities and expect optimal service delivery” he said.
He continued “the financial capacity of the generator, transmitter and distributor is very much anchored on prompt payment of bills, especially as we work to clamp down on all forms of losses and intra-sector debts. These 3 segments of the power value-chain are symbiotically dependent on each other and therefore we must work together to clamp down on all forms of losses.
The Manhyia South lawmaker said, there is no excuse whatsoever for the non-payment of electricity bills and drew an analogy where one cannot negotiate with OMCs to get fuel into his or her car. “When you need fuel, you cannot but pay to get it, why can’t you do same for the electricity you consume” he quizzed.
The ECG taskforce continue to mount operations to retrieve all debts owed by the company.
The Managing Director of the ECG Samuel Dubik Mahama earlier said that an amount of GHS5.7 billion was owed to the state power distributor.
He assured that the action of the company was going to be intensified to retrieve all these debts.
“Every month we will show up to collect the debts,” he intimated.
Mr Mahama said so far they are able to collect between 40 to 50 Million Cedis daily since the exercise started.
“I can each day 40 to 50 million cedis everyday, we are expecting it to go up,” he said.
The task force earlier, Monday, March 20, visited institutions such as Parliament, the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as part of the debt recovery.
Speaking to journalists, the External Communications Manager of ECG, Laila Abubakar said “The national task force is the one that is in charge of the state-owned enterprises, the ministries, departments and agencies and so we have been going with them, we visited Parliament House, they were owing about a GHS13million they have committed to paying GHS8.5million, we saw evidence of that.
“We went to the Ghana Airport Company, they owed arrears of GHS28million of which they made GHS10 million payment instantly just when we got there so we have given them 48 hours to make the full payment.”
She added “Now, we are here at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, they also owe in arrears of about GHS6 million but they have explained to us that because of the way they run their operations they wouldn’t be able to cough out the money for us instantly, they have had some discussions with the Minister of Information and the National Media Commission together with the Ministry of Energy and there was some sort of agreement last years. However, ECG’s point is that there has not been any movement on the debt that is remaining.
“They have explained to us they have a system and they are going to get some money and pay because they have to find innovative ways of coming up with the money and so we have been giving permission to leave them for now for 48 hours.”
Homes of individuals were not excluded.
Laila Abubakar said “In Tema, we have received photos of disconnections happening in residences, we have received photos of them in some of the industries in Tema and they are being disconnected.
“I am hoping that by the end of the day, we should be able to see a lot of money coming in into our accounts.
“Our system has been digitized in such a way that by the end of the day the Managing Director will be able to see how much we have recouped from this exercise and so we will report in a timely basis how much we are making on a weekly basis.”
Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, has noted that the power producer has so far only been able to recover half of the debt owed it by consumers.
The ECG is owed about GH¢5.7 billion but according to Mr Dubik Mahama, “we have collected in excess of GH¢2 billion.” “That is less than half,” he added.
“But we have one more week to go before I am able to give my figures. I will sit down, do an assessment and then see. Why are people not paying? We will disconnect and prosecute,” he said.
The ECG on March 20, 2023, embarked on its revenue mobilisation exercise which is expected to end on April 20, 2023.
Meanwhile, the ECG has responded to claims that its initiative forms part of conditions Ghana is supposed meet before receiving a credit facility worth $3 billion.
According to Mr Mahama, such reports are false and should be disregarded.
“If someone says this is IMF driven, it is very sad. That means that you don’t want to applaud ECG, because we took our time, and suffered what we had to suffer to get to where we are now. The dashboard showed us where we were leaking, where we were bleeding and what the billing system is saying, and then we lost our moral high ground by sitting in the office and being owed GH¢5.7 billion”.
“So we said let’s all move out in one month and see if we can close the gap and see if we can make everybody happy. Through this exercise, one of the things that will happen is that we will be able to clean our books,” Mr Mahama explained.
Managing Director (MD) of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, has disclosed that power bills of former presidents are supposed to be paid by government.
He adds that the company only reads the meters of the former presidents and submits the bills periodically to the office of the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, for payment.
According to him, of the two former presidents in Ghana today, the bills of former president John Agyekum Kufuor is being fully catered for by the state unlike that of John Dramani Mahama.
“We collate all former presidents’ bills and we send them to the Chief of Staff for payment. Let me break it down, former President Kufour’s bills are with us, we gave them to the Chief of Staff and she has worked on them,” he disclosed in an interview with Accra-based Peace FM on April 18, 2023.
He explained how come the bills of Mahama were not at the moment being absorbed by the state.
“We also had former President John Mahama’s own…we tried to get in touch with him, and when we got the bills, for him, he has already been paying his own bills…Yes, he pays his own bills,” he added.
Dubik Mahama revealed that during a meeting with the Chief of Staff, she expressed her disappointment with the ECG’s failure to properly carry out its responsibilities with respect to Mahama’s bills.
“…so, we had a meeting with the Chief of Staff and she told us her piece of mind and she told us exactly what we have to do because a lot of people would like to drop the problem at the political doorstep which is wrong,” he said.
He maintained that ECG will open discussions with the former President to ensure that his bills are settled by the state, in accordance with the country’s constitution.
“So, from now onwards we are going to have discussions with him (John Mahama) so that moving forward it would be absorbed.
“I won’t put the blame at his doorsteps or make it political, it is my office, we were supposed to read his meter and take action by informing him that we will handle it, so, we now have put those structures in place after a very comprehensive conversation with the Chief of Staff.
Mahama in an interview with TV3 in 2022 said that all he receives from the government is his monthly pension and that all other bills the state must cater for have not been attended to since he left office in 2017.
Mahama said he is footing a myriad of bills, including light, fuel, office rent, and travel expenses.
Samuel Dubik Mahama, the managing director of the Electricity Company of Ghana(ECG), has said that, in the final round of its exercise, the company’s revenue mobilization team will disconnect businesses and houses due the ECG without consideration.
According to him, the public is fully aware of the exercise and that the team will not negotiate with any entity before disconnecting.
Speaking on Citi TV’s Face to Face programme, Mr. Dubik Mahama reiterated that the company has given its debtors enough grace period.
“This is the last week of the exercise, nobody is taking excuses, if you haven’t paid, the conversation has gone on for far too long. Anybody who doesn’t pay will be off the grid. The warnings started on March 20. Before we started, there was a countdown. Does that mean that you don’t take us seriously? The funny thing is when you take them off the grid, they find money to pay. That is when they realise that ECG is actually cheap,” he cautioned.
Mr. Dubik Mahama added that he will not succumb to any pressure from some people in authority to compel him put a stop to the revenue mobilization exercise.
“I have been given a mandate and I’m delivering to its fullest. I have been given the fullest support. Fantastic support from my Minister of Energy [Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh]. Fantastic support from my board, I have to doff my hats out to thePresident Akufo-Addo. My family they love me for what I’m doing. they [family] don’t even have the moral rights to beg on behalf of anybody owing us,” the Managing Director of ECG indicated.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has indicated that former President John Dramani Mahama will not get a refund of his already paid electricity bills.
Managing Director of the Company, Samuel Dubik Mahama, made this known during an interview on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo morning show, where he said ECG regrets allowing the former President to foot his own bills when the state had a responsibility to absorb the cost.
“I won’t put the blame at his doorsteps or make it political, it is my office, we were supposed to read his meter and take action by informing him that we will handle it, so, we now have put those structures in place after a very comprehensive conversation with the Chief of Staff,” he said on the show.
This is after the former President in an exclusive interview with TV3 last year disclosed that all bills the state must cater for, including his electricity and water bills, have not been attended to since he left office in 2017. Mr Mahama emphasised that he pays them himself.
His claim has been confirmed by the ECG MD who attributed the anomaly to failure of the company to execute its mandate as required.
He explained that although all bills of former President John Agyekum Kufour have been duly submitted to the Chief of Staff for payment, however, Mr Mahama had already (personally) been paying his own bills at the time the company reached out to him.
“…so, we had a meeting with the Chief of Staff and she told us her piece of mind and she told us exactly what we have to do because a lot of people would like to drop the problem at the political doorstep which is wrong,” he stated.
He further sent a passionate appeal to the public not to politicise the matter and another appeal to the former President to forgo what he has already paid while ECG explored a way to deal with the matter going forward.
“I’ve requested a meeting with him and his aides so that we can see the way forward. I’ll plead with him to let go of what he has already paid and going forward we will take care of the rest,” he assured.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has disclosed that the Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, lambasted the company for failing to submit a bill for payment on behalf of former President John Dramani Mahama.
According to the Managing Director (MD) of ECG, Samuel Dubik Mahama, has disclosed that the Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, criticized the company for not properly carrying out its duties, particularly with regard to the payment of bills by former President John Dramani Mahama.
According to the ECG MD, the company is responsible for reading the former president’s meter and submitting the bills to the Chief of Staff’s office for payment. However, this has not been done, leading to the Chief of Staff’s dissatisfaction.
The MD revealed that during a meeting with the Chief of Staff, she expressed her disappointment with the ECG’s failure to properly carry out its responsibilities. She stressed the need for the company to improve its services.
“We collate all former president’s bills and we send them to the Chief of Staff for payment.
“Let me break it down, former President Kufour’s bills are with us, we gave them to the Chief of Staff and she has worked on them. We also had former President John Mahama’s own…we tried to get in touch with him, and when we got the bills, for him, he has already been paying his own bills…Yes, he pays his own bills.
“…so, we had a meeting with the Chief of Staff and she told us her piece of mind and she told us exactly what we have to do because a lot of people would like to drop the problem at the political doorstep which is wrong,” he said.
Speaking in an interview with Peace FM’s Kokrokoo on April 18, 2023, Samuel Dubik Mahama maintained that there will be discussions with the former President to ensure that his bills are settled by the state, in accordance with the country’s constitution.
“So, from now onwards we are going to have discussions with him (John Mahama) so that moving forward it would be absorbed.
“I won’t put the blame at his doorsteps or make it political, it is my office, we were supposed to read his meter and take action by informing him that we will handle it, so, we now have put those structures in place after a very comprehensive conversation with the Chief of Staff.
He further assured Ghanaians that ECG is committed to providing reliable and uninterrupted power supply to its customers and that it will continue to work towards improving its services and addressing any challenges that arise. He urged all customers to ensure that they settle their bills promptly, to avoid disconnection and any inconvenience that may arise as a result.
It may be recalled that John Dramani Mahama in an exclusive interview with TV3 in 2022 said that all he receives from the government is his monthly pension and that all other bills the state must cater for have not been attended to since he left office in 2017.
Mahama said he is footing a myriad of bills, including light, fuel, office rent, and travel expenses.
The managing director of theElectricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, has revealed that his organization intends to meter every power distribution transformer by the end of 2023 in a bid to combat power theft.
To help with metering and on-time completion, the MD stated that the contract had already been awarded.
Speaking in an interview on the Point of View on Citi TV, Mr. Mahama bemoaned the volumes of power lost to theft annually and said some residents actually factor power theft into their building plan and often get away with that, but that is soon coming to an end.
“It has come to our attention that some people even before building their houses, talk about ‘by-pass’ where they have one part of their electricity consumption pass through their meter and the other half goes through the main lines and I can assure you that we will find all those people and ensure that they correct it before the end of the year.
“We are going to meter every single distribution transformer and that will allow us to know the number of rooms connected to those transformers and the volumes of power supplied and when your meter is telling us otherwise, we will visit the area and calculate the average for all occupants to pay.”
The Electricity Company of Ghana began a massive disconnection exercise on March 20 in its bid to recover debts owed it.
Mr. Mahama indicated that the company is owed over GH¢5 billion from the month of September 2022 to February 2023. Most of its debtors are the variousMMDAs.
Managing Director of the Electricity Company Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, has revealed that some individuals in the political space and friends have called to register their displeasure with the ongoing mass disconnection by the company.
Barely 48 hours after the ECG began the exercise, Mr Samuel Dubik Mahama said he had received numerous calls for him to halt the initiative.
When asked if the calls came in from politicians, power brokers and friends by JoyNews’ Evans Mensah, he said “It cuts across. (they say) can you hold off? No, hold off as to what?”
“Please let’s just do the right thing because I don’t even have the moral right after sending somebody out of the office to pick up the phone and call him and say ‘hello, can you cut X, Y and Z slack? No’ then what is the moral of the exercise?” the ECG boss added.
According to Mr Mahama, the ongoing revenue mobilisation exercise being carried out by his out is not politically motivated.
Samuel Dubik Mahama says concerns that the exercise is being targeted at some party’s political base are unfounded and should be treated with the utmost contempt.
He stressed that he has no intention to politicise his office or mandate.
“I don’t see myself as doing politics, I see myself now as a technocrat. The biggest mistake we could ever do is to politicise the work done by this office.
“So for me, your electricity bill doesn’t have a party colour…your electricity bill is red, gold, and green with a black star in the middle, that’s your electricity bill. So believe me, as I said, the status quo balances straight out,” he said.
The ongoing revenue mobilization effort being carried out by theElectricity Company of Ghana (ECG), according to the ECG’s managing director, Samuel Dubik Mahama is not driven by politics.
According to Samuel Dubik Mahama, suspicions that the exercise is being directed at a certain party’s political base are baseless and should be viewed disregarded.
He explained that the mass disconnection exercise has become necessary in order to mobilise much-needed revenue for the ECG to pay Independent Power Producers arrears amounting to an excess of $1 billion.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, he stressed that he has no intention to politicize his office or mandate.
“I don’t see myself as doing politics, I see myself now as a technocrat. The biggest mistake we could ever do is to politicise the work done by this office.
“So for me, your electricity bill doesn’t have a party colour…your electricity bill is red, gold, and green with a black star in the middle, that’s your electricity bill. So believe me, as I said, the status quo balances straight out,” he said.
Meanwhile, he has apologised to people who feel insulted or embarrassed as a result of the ECG’s disconnection exercise.
According to him, while the turn of events is unfortunate, it is important to embark on this exercise to ensure that consumers are made aware of the need to pay their bills on time.
“I know a few people who feel slighted, it’s not our intention to disrespect anybody or embarrass anybody I just believe we have a mandate and we should carry it out,” he said.
This comes after John Jinapor, the ranking member on the parliament’s mines and energy committee, claimed that Hubtel Company Limited had been offered the chance to take over the ECG’s payment system.
The ECG app, which was created locally by ECG personnel, is being attempted to be transferred to a business called Hubtel.
Officials from Hubtel are allegedly attempting to connect their system to the app at ECG right now, according to the legislator.
“I’m even told that Hubtel is proposing to charge 4 percent commission. So, there is a lot of internal upheaval among some ECG staff,” he indicated.
But Samuel Mahama speaking with journalists on the matter said, “ECG doesn’t have a contract with anybody called Hubtel. So, ECG has a proof of concept understanding with Hubtel and ECG hasn’t agreed on any percentages with Hubtel,”
“It is quite sad that in this day when we have the Right to Information [Law], where you can get access to information when you hear gossip, you choose to run with gossip,” the ECG boss added.
Meanwhile, the ECG has come under intense pressure over the inability of customers across the country to purchase pre-paid power from their various vending points.
The situation which has been described as a technical glitch affected many businesses, households and institutions that rely on ECG’s power distribution system.
In the wake of this, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) directed ECG to pay due compensation to customers who were significantly impacted by the recent glitch in its prepaid vending system.
The compensation is expected to cover the period between October 1 to 7, 2022
Rather, the company noted, it was prepared to abide by the laid down procedure to pay compensation to affected customers on case by case basis.
Managing Director of ECG, Samuel Dubik Mahama, said, his outfit was preparing to engage the PURC on the need to alter the directive to make case by case the basis of payment of compensation.
He was speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday to update the public on measures instituted by the company to address the current power crisis.
“We cannot make a block compensation payment to all of our customers. We prefer a case by case form of compensation payment so that people prove the damages suffered before compensation is determined,” he stated.
According to Mr Mahama, a wholesale form of compensation to all customers would mean that those who did not suffer any form of damage would be paid as well.
Per the company’s checks, he said, some of the customers were engaged in panic buys, although their meter was functioning properly, resulting in long queues and pressure on the vending system.
He noted that, although the ECG was not engaged by the PURC before the directive was issued, it was looking forward to a fair hearing and a process guided by the rules governing the resolution of grievances.
Investigations into the causes of the power crisis, he stated, was currently ongoing saying that the ECG would duly update the public on the findings when it was completed.
Mr Mahama said, presently all the meter systems were up and running, except some areas in the Ashanti Region, as well as the Power App to enable customers purchase power.
He urged customers to avoid panic buys that result in long queues at the various vending points adding that “we must all be patient to be served and avoid panic buys.”
The ECG, he noted, had put in place robust measures to forestall such occurrences in the future explaining that the system’s robustness would enable it handle the expected traffic.
He denied rift between the management and staff of the company saying that ECG had the requisite human resource to deal with such challenges and work together even in the face of disagreement.
Citing the ECG Power App as an example, Mr Mahama noted that, the management and staff were working together to address gaps and constraints that stifle its operation.
He cautioned against politicisation of the challenge confronting the company and unwarranted attacks on management, mostly due to unfounded allegations.
Samuel Dubik Mahama, the managing director of Electricity Company Ghana (ECG), is confident that issues with the power distribution company’s prepaid vending system would be fixed by Tuesday, October 4, 2022.
Customers will have no trouble purchasing prepaid credits, according to the ECG MD.
On Monday, October 3, 2022, Mr. Mahama denied allegations that he was being sabotaged while speaking at a press conference.
I don’t feel sabotaged, he declared. I don’t feel at all undermined.
“I just feel we are working and there are challenges and in every working environment there are pushes and there are pools, and we just have to work hard to ensure that the right systems are put in place, so things move in the right direction,” he stated.
He added: “It is work that we are doing. So we plead with you to help us help you. We have challenges, but we believe by close of work today, most of the machines will be working well and everyone will be able to buy their power.”
Power consumers across certain parts of the country have for the past six days been unable to purchase power on their prepaid meters because of a technical challenge that affected ECG’s prepaid metering systems.
According to the ECG MD, customers will be able to purchase prepaid credits without challenges.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, October 3, 2022, Mr Mahama, also debunked claims that he was being sabotaged.
He said: “I don’t feel sabotaged. I don’t feel sabotaged at all.”
“I just feel we are working and there are challenges and in every working environment there are pushes and there are pools, and we just have to work hard to ensure that the right systems are put in place, so things move in the right direction,” he stated.
He added: “It is work that we are doing. So we plead with you to help us help you. We have challenges, but we believe by close of work today, most of the machines will be working well and everyone will be able to buy their power.”
The Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Samuel Dubik Mahama has said he can not deny nor confirm that the company’s prepaid vending system was hacked.
He said the inability of some customers to load credit onto prepaid meters last week was an IT related challenge that was being resolved.
Addressing a press conference today, he said the challenges would be fully resolved by the close of the day.
“Yes we do know exactly what the problem is and clearly we’ve solved the problem. We can clearly say that over 95 percent of our customers are back. So we are still working on the challenges that we have and by close of day, we will solve it”, the MD said in response to a question on what exactly the problem was.
Asked if it was a hack that caused the challenges, the ECG MD said, “to be very honest, I cannot confirm or deny. All I can is that it is left with the necessary investigations for us to do the right thing and to make sure that the right things are established, for the good people of Ghana.”
The Managing Director of Electricity Company Ghana (ECG) has rejected allegations of sabotage over the recent power purchase difficulties faced by the citizenry.
Samuel Dubik Mahama said the challenges with the institution are just like all others.
Speaking at a presser on Monday, Mr Mahama said ECG will put the necessary systems required to make their operations better.
“I don’t feel sabotaged. I don’t feel sabotaged at all. I just feel we are working and there are challenges and in every working environment there are pushes and there are pools, and we just have to work hard to ensure that the right systems are put in place, so things move in the right direction,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Mahama also assured Ghanaians the challenges will be resolved by the close of the day.
“It is work that we are doing. So we plead with you to help us help you. We have challenges, but we believe by close of work today, most of the machines will be working well and everyone will be able to buy their power,” he added.
Some ECG prepaid consumers were left in the dark after a technical challenge affected the purchase of credits for their meters.
Customers in Volta Region, Takoradi, Tema, Cape Coast, Kasoa, Winneba, Swedru, Koforidua, Nkawkaw and Tafo were affected.
On October 1, ECG said they had fixed the vending challenges.
In a press release, the power distribution company noted that consumers who were having challenges buying credits can now do so at the ending points.
“The Electricity Company of Ghana wishes to inform all stakeholders, especially our cherished customers on our prepayment metering system that the issue with the 3rd Party Vending Points has been resolved,” part of the statement read.
“Customers can now purchase electricity credits from their nearest vending points, and all ECG District offices, including tomorrow Sunday, 2nd October 2022, from 9.00 am – 4.00 pm,” ECG added.
However, some consumers are still reporting challenges with the system.
The Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana, Samuel Dubik Mahama is uncertain whether the company’s prepaid vending system was hacked or not.
At a press brief, he noted that he could neither deny nor confirm that the company’s prepaid vending system was hacked.
He said the inability of some customers to load credit onto prepaid meters last week was an IT related challenge that was being resolved.
Addressing a press conference today, he said the challenges would be fully resolved by the close of the day.
“Yes we do know exactly what the problem is and clearly we’ve solved the problem. We can clearly say that over 95 percent of our customers are back. So we are still working on the challenges that we have and by close of day, we will solve it”, the MD said in response to a question on what exactly the problem was.
Asked if it was a hack that caused the challenges, the ECG MD said, “to be very honest, I cannot confirm or deny. All I can is that it is left with the necessary investigations for us to do the right thing and to make sure that the right things are established, for the good people of Ghana.”
