PEF urged to dialogue on utility payments

Kumasi, Jan. 31, GNA- The Private Enterprises Foundation (PEF), has been urged to lead private sector organizations to engage government, the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) and the utility companies to find solutions to losses incurred by businesses as a result of poor utility service delivery.

Dr Ferdinand D. Tay, President of the Consumer Association of Ghana, who made the call, said the Foundation should also lead an agenda to streamline payment processes of utility bills and establish a transparent payment system with clearly defined steps and time-frame. He made the call when he was speaking on the topic, "Institutionalization of Compensation in Business Dealings in Ghana," at a meeting of members of the PEF in Kumasi on Tuesday. It was organized and sponsored by the PEF and Business Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC) on the theme "Advocating Appropriate Compensation Scheme in Business". Dr.Tay said consumers of utility services provided by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Telecom (GT), Ghana Water Company limited (GWCL) were adversely affected by unreliable utility supply.

This, he stressed has led to disruptions in industrial productive activities and the attendant high cost of production to enterprises. Dr Tay said "There are also complaints from private sector operators about billing system, timing of bills and other services rendered by the utility companies, however, they are not held accountable for their services rendered to their customers", he said. He said this necessitated the need for a project to ensure the institutionalization of a compensation scheme, which would significantly reduce undue cost arising from inefficiency of public or private sector utility and other service providers to improve competitiveness in local business operations as well as efficiency in public sector services. Dr.Tay called on government to collaborate with PEF to elaborate a consistent frame work and policy mechanism for the regulation of business activities in the country including workers compensation and consumer redress. Mr. Moses Agyemang, a Senior Economist at the PEF, noted that Ghana had a long way to go even though according to the World Bank, the nation was one of the top reformers in the business environment worldwide. He announced that PEF will forward the recommendations to government after the meeting.