The Chairman of the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG), Mr. John Awuni, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to take swift and decisive action to reform the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Ghana Water Company, describing efficiency in the utility sector as critical to the country’s economic growth.
Speaking during a press engagement, Mr. Awuni issued a clear call to the President, emphasizing the urgency of the matter.
“We therefore respectfully ask His Excellency the President to act decisively within the next 30 days to launch a presidential compact for ECG. Efficiency before tariff is the reform Ghana needs, not tariff before efficiency. Efficiency before tariff is what Ghana needs,” he stressed.
He argued that fixing ECG and the Ghana Water Company would be one of the most impactful legacies of the current administration.
“The greatest legacy the Mahama government respectfully can leave is to fix ECG and Ghana Water Company once and for all. And if done, every Ghanaian will feel the benefits of good governance through a sustainable increase in economic activities and reduction in the cost of goods and services. Ghana deserves a utility sector that powers growth, not one that drains it,” he added.
FABAG has presented a petition to the President, with copies also delivered to the Minister of Energy, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy, and the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC). Awuni expressed optimism that coordinated efforts could bring lasting solutions to the sector’s longstanding inefficiencies.
“We believe that together we can achieve a lasting solution in the utility sector that Ghanaians will enjoy. The 24-hour economy will succeed. Industrial takeoff will be meaningful and sustainable,” he said.
He highlighted how inefficiencies in the utility sector have had a direct impact on production costs and the cost of living for Ghanaians.
“Ghanaians’ cost of living will be brought down because cost, electricity and water, is the major foundation cost of every production system.
“And the industry has been struggling for years, not because of some other issues, they may be there, but largely because of the inefficiencies of their utilities, particularly ECG and the Ghana Water Company,” he concluded.
Watch video below;
