The shortage of electricity meters in Ghana is being addressed, with more units expected to reach consumers in the coming weeks, Energy and Green Transition Minister John Jinapor has assured Parliament.
Speaking on Monday, March 16, when he appeared before the House, Mr Jinapor explained that the problem arose from “a combination of oversubscribed contracts and funding constraints.”
“When we assumed office for 2024, even though the ECG board approved about three billion cedis for contracts, more than nine billion cedis had already been awarded, including for meter supply,” the Minister said, noting that this created a bottleneck in meter delivery.
He also highlighted the impact of the cash waterfall mechanism, which governs how revenue received by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is allocated.
“It means that the revenue ECG was receiving as a portion of its cash waterfall allocation was not enough. So some of these meter manufacturing companies, who had been given huge contracts, could not meet that demand,” he added.
To address the situation, the Ministry has increased ECG’s monthly allocation from GH₵ 300 million to GH₵ 360 million and indexed it to a percentage of the utility’s total revenue collection. “If ECG wants to collect more than GH₵ 360 million, they have to work harder, because the more they collect, the more they get,” he explained.
The Minister reassured the public that meters are now entering the system and that distribution will accelerate, emphasising a strategic approach to avoid waste. “We are on course, and the meters will be made available.”
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com