The Electricity Company of Ghana is taking bold steps to address the menace of illegal electricity connections and meter tampering, with plans to introduce legislation for stricter penalties for offenders.

“Mr. Speaker, we have been arresting people and prosecuting them because there is a dedicated court for such offenses,” Mr. John Abu Jinapor, the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, said, highlighting the company’s commitment to tackling the issue.

“Mr. Speaker, we intend to bring legislation to make the punishment severe,” he added.
Mr. Jinapor made the announcement in response to an urgent question standing in the name of by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin on the floor Parliament, in Accra, on Wednesday

Mr. Afenyo-Markin, also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Efutu Constituency had asked the Minister what reforms were being implemented at ECG to mitigate illegal electricity connections and metering challenges to improve revenue efficiency.

Mr. Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Minority Chief Whip and NPP MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, asked the question on behalf of the Minority Leader.

Mr. Jinapor told the House that as part of efforts, ECG had installed over one million new meters under its Law Reduction Program, aimed at improving billing accuracy and reducing losses.
He noted that the company had also implemented prepayment systems for state institutions to ensure timely payments.

“Mr. Speaker, we are working with authorities to prosecute offenders, and we are making progress. However, we need the cooperation of Ghanaians to ensure revenue recovery and maintain power supply,” he said.

The Minister added that ECG had also constituted a task force to crack down on illegal connections and meter tampering and had reconnected some government-owned agencies that were disconnected due to non-payment, following cabinet approval.

“Mr. Speaker, we are making a passionate and humble appeal to Ghanaians to work with us to ensure revenue recovery and maintain power supply. If we don’t work together, we will have a major challenge of providing power,” the Minister said.
He explained that with all these measures, ECG aimed to improve revenue collection, reduce losses, and increase overall efficiency, ensuring a stable power supply for the country.