President Akufo-Addo has asked members of the newly constituted Governing Board of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to do all within their mandate to protect the interest of consumers.
The PURC, according to him, appears to be mostly efficient when it comes to the review of utility prices, literally neglecting their function of protecting the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian when it comes to services delivered by utility service providers.
He has, therefore, tasked the PURC Board to change the perception that the commission’s only function is for the upward review of utility tariffs, and do more to protect consumers.
“As the newly constituted board and in accordance with Act 538, the Ghanaian people demand that you protect their interest. In consonance with section 13 of the Act, I urge you to ensure that where a public utility provider fails to meet any required standard of performance, it is appropriately and duly sanctioned,” he charged them.
This was after administering the oaths of office and secrecy to members of the board during their swearing in at the Jubilee House (presidency) Friday evening.
“It would appear that the other functions, primarily, to do with the protection interest of the consumer and the delivery of quality services by the utility providers have been largely overlooked by the PURC. This perception can no longer be allowed to fester. It must change,” he pointed out.
The President assured the board that in accordance with the dictates of the Act that established them, there will be no interference by government as they go about their duties.
He was however, quick to add that “at the same time, the statutory composition of the board demonstrates amply the necessity of thorough stakeholder consultation in the successful fulfilment of the commission’s mandate.”
On his part, Chairman of the newly constituted PURC Board, Ebo B. Quagrainie, said during their tenure, they want to engage in discussions on the tariffs structure for electricity and water with all stakeholders.
It was his hope that the President will support them in championing gas price reduction in order to bring down utility tariffs in the country.
“We will also boost our engagement with stakeholders keeping in mind that the tariff regime would have to have a cost recovery as the underlining theme to promote efficiency and growth in the energy sector. The Commission will also ensure that our monitoring and compliance areas of the utilities are monitored closely to ensure high operational efficiency,” he said.
Source: Daily guide network
