GHC14m GWCL Saga: Afenyo-Markin led board must go – Sampson Ahi

A former Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Sampson Ahi, has asked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to dissolve the board of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), which is currently under the chairmanship of Effutu MP Alexander Afenyo-Markin.

According to Bodi MP, the GWCL has defrauded consumers of GHS14 million, for which the board must go.

Last week, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) ordered the GWCL to refund GHS14.09 million to customers after it was found to have illegally collected monies for no water supplied.

A statement from the Commission said the water company kept charging customers for the cost of running the Befesa Desalination plant even though the plant was not functional.

The illegal water charges had been going on for five months, between 15 March and 15 September 2018.

This, the regulator said was in breach of Section 11 of PURC Act, 1997 (Act 538). The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) said it found the breach during a monitoring exercise on 23 August 2018.

Speaking on this matter on Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM, Mr Ahi said: “This act by GWCL smacks of fraud, hence the board must be dissolved.”

“This is fraud, you shut down your plant yet you go ahead and charge consumers for no water supplied to their homes. They have defrauded Ghanaians, and, so, the board should go,” he reiterated.