PURC records 781 complaints in 2023, resolves 771

Cassiel Eghan Asiedu, the Upper West Regional Manager of the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC), said the Commission recorded 781 complaints from utility consumers, out of which 771 were successfully resolved.

Most of the complaints bordered on quality of services with power outages being the highest concerning the Electricity Company, while the complaints of the Ghana Water Company included cuts in water flow and bust pipelines.

Asiedu disclosed this in Wa at the weekend during the end-of-year get-together of the PURC, which brought together representatives from the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo), Ghana Water Company Ltd, staff of PURC and some stakeholders.

The Consumer Service Committee members in Tumu in the Sissala East Municipality also attended the event.

He said the Commission described 2023 as a “Year of Operational Efficiency” where it engaged many stakeholders on the operations of the PURC.

Asiedu attributed the successes of the PURC within the year under review to the collaboration and support it enjoyed from the stakeholders, including the utility service providers and the consumers.

“If the utilities hadn’t given us this collaboration, we wouldn’t have chalked this success,” he said, and commended them for their collaboration.

He said for 2024, the commission was strategically positioning itself in its service delivery and termed the year as a “Year of Strategic Impact” with a focus on four key areas.

The four key areas, christened “STEP” – Self-improvement, Transparency, Enforcement and Proactiveness, will focus on staff capacity building, engagement with stakeholders, enforcement of laws and proactiveness in service delivery through the use of technology to receive complaints.

Daniel Awortwe, the Upper West Regional Area Engineer of the NEDCo, commended the PURC for being a “great stakeholder” in the operations of the Company and expressed the hope that the collaboration would continue in the years ahead.

He said NEDCo would leverage technology to improve on its operations for optimum service delivery by ensuring reliable and quality power supply to consumers.

Kwasi Abebrese, the Upper West Regional Chief Manager of the Ghana Water Company Ltd, assured its consumers of quality service.

He, however, appealed to them to bear with his outfit in responding to complaints and challenges due to the workload on the staff.