Mafi-Zongo communities get power after six years

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has extended power to some residents in seven communities in the Mafi Zongo Electoral Area of the Central Tongu District in the Volta Region.

The beneficiary communities are; Mafi-Agbadzikope, Mafi-Zongo, Mafi-Seva, Mafi Amerika, Mafi- Adiekpe, Mafi- Manase and Mafi -Wudzrolo-Ahloevi.

The residents, most of whom were registered to benefit from Ministry of Power’s Self Help Electrification Project (SHEP), were left un-serviced for six years, Mr Fred Baimbill-Johnson, Volta Regional Public Relations Officer, ECG, told the Ghana News Agency.

He said this was because meters were not released for their connection to the national grid, though they had paid the mandatory fifty-eight pesewas (58p) required of all qualified beneficiaries at the time.

Mr Julius Karl D. Fieve, the Assemblyman for the Mafi Zongo Electoral Area, expressed gratitude to the ECG for intervening by installing the meters and bringing relief to the people.

He said residents of the communities could now move freely in the evenings without fear and pupils could learn in the evenings when they returned from school.

Mr Fieve also expressed hope that the facility would open up the area for economic opportunities.

Mr Joseph Forson, the Volta Regional General Manager of ECG, said the Company could not allow the massive investments made by the Ministry in the project to go to waste, just because the residents of the communities were still anticipating ‘free’ meters from the Ministry.

“After engaging the Assembly Member and leadership of the affected communities, we agreed to connect the residents to the grid, under our special ‘Post SHEP’ facility,” he explained.

Mr Forson said, “Instead of the standard Four Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH¢ 400.00), we discounted the new service cost and each of the (200) customers paid only Sixty Ghana Cedis (GH¢ 60.00), VAT Inclusive”.