Coronavirus: We’ll ensure electricity subsidy works well – ECG Boss

Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana Limited (ECG), Kwame Agyeman-Budu, has assured the people of Ghana that plans by the government to absorb electricity bills following the COVID-19 and the restrictions placed in some parts of the country to contain the situation, will materialize.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, as part of measures to mitigate the effect of the COVID-19 announced a reduction in electricity bills.

The president said last week that: “As part of measures to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the social and economic life of the country, we have decided on further measures of mitigation for all Ghanaians for the next three months, i.e. April, May and June”.

The government, he said, “will fully absorb electricity bills for the poorest of the poor, i.e. for all lifeline consumers, that is free electricity for persons who consume zero (0) to fifty (50) kilowatt hours a month for this period. In addition, for all other consumers, residential and commercial, Government will absorb, again, fifty percent (50%) of your electricity bill for this period, using your March 2020 bill as your benchmark. For example, if your electricity bill was one hundred cedis (GHS100), you will pay only GHS50, with Government absorbing the remaining fifty cedis (GHS50). This is being done to support industry, enterprises and the service sector in these difficult times, and to provide some relief to households for lost income. Nevertheless, I urge all Ghanaians to exercise discipline in their use of water and electricity”.

In a video message to Ghanaians, the ECG Boss, Mr Agyeman Budu said : “ We will ensure that electricity bills for all lifeline customers (persons who consume zero to 50 kilowatts-hours a month) will be fully adsorbed by the government.

“Non-lifeline prepaid and post-paid customers (Residential and Commercial) will enjoy Fifty Percent (50%) reliefs on their electricity consumption in April, May and June using their March 2020 consumption as the benchmark.”

He added : “All the reliefs will be implemented from 1st May 2020. As we commend the president for the swift and decisive manner in which the COVID-19 global health pandemic is being handled let us also abide fully by the health guidelines.”