The discovery has intensified scrutiny over procurement breaches and financial mismanagement at the state power distributor, with at least 1,300 containers assigned to ECG unaccounted for, according to an investigative report commissioned by the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition.

Letters from former ECG Managing Director Samuel Dubik Mahama to the GRA, dated between September and December 2022, show repeated concerns about shipping containers being auctioned after lingering at Tema Port for over four years due to a contractual dispute with supplier L & R Investment & Trading Limited. The meters, part of a 2017–2018 consignment, were meant for ECG’s operations but were sold off after the company claimed it lacked funds to clear them. Mahama warned that their entry into the market could worsen ECG’s commercial losses, which already exceed 30% of revenue.

In August 2022, Ashanti Regional Customs officers intercepted 117 prepaid meters hidden in a bus traveling from Kumasi to Aflao, a border town. While authorities initially alleged smuggling, questions arose over whether the meters were linked to auctioned ECG containers, as the bus was headed toward—not from—the border. Around the same period, reports emerged of illegal meter installations across homes, with some alleging politically connected individuals facilitated sales. No direct evidence ties these sales to the auctioned goods.

The auctions appear routine: Between 2017 and 2024, ECG repeatedly failed to clear containers, prompting the GRA to sell them under port regulations. A March 2023 letter from Mahama urged the GRA to halt auctions involving ECG and Power Distribution Services (PDS), a former contractor whose 25-year management deal was terminated in 2019 amid government disputes.

The Energy Ministry’s probe confirmed systemic procurement failures, citing ECG’s inability to track its containers and lax oversight at Tema Port. Investigators noted the unresolved status of 1,300 containers, raising alarms over revenue leaks and operational inefficiencies.

As Ghana grapples with chronic power sector debts, the ECG meter scandal underscores broader challenges in safeguarding public assets. The government has yet to announce punitive measures or reforms, leaving accountability questions unanswered.