25 villages in Ga West to start paying electricity bills

Electricity metersAbout 4,000 out 7,500 residents of Akotoshie and its 25 surrounding villages in the Ga West Municipality, who for the past six years have not paid electricity bills, were now being mapped-out for payment by June 2013.

The communities were hooked to the national GRID through the Self Help Electrification Programme (SHEP) under the Rural Electrification Project, but the residents have since not been registered to pay for the service.

A statement from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, said Mr John Abdulai Jinapor, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Petroleum, became aware of the situation when he paid a day’s visit to the Nsawam District office of ECG in the Municipality.

It said residents would be required to pay one-third of the amount owed and the rest spread over an agreed period.

Mr. K. Arthur–Forson, Regional Manager of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), told the Deputy Minister the problem arose because the SHEP’s contractors failed to hand-over the project to ECG upon completion, hence its (ECG) inability to capture the residents for billing.

He said residents were now being educated to know that the SHEP was not absolutely free.

Mr Jinapor expressed concern about the delay in capturing the customers and demanded that the mapping-out exercise be expedited to ensure that the completion date of June was achieved.

He reiterated government’s commitment to ensure that Ghanaians enjoy secure, reliable and sustainable energy.

The Deputy Energy Minister charged the staff of the ECG to give off their best since they were at the frontline in terms of providing electricity in the power sector.

Source: GNA

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