ECG declares ‘WAR’ on Illegal Connections

The Accra West region of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has stepped up efforts to eliminate unauthorised electricity connections, aiming to curb commercial losses and recover lost revenue.

To achieve this, the region has deployed a special task force to audit electricity meters and installations at customer premises.

The team, made up of trained technical staff is tasked with identifying all forms of illegal electricity use.

The Acting General Manager for ECG, Accra West, Ing. Emmanuel Ankrah, warned that offenders would face severe consequences including disconnection, financial penalties and possible prosecution.

“Customers are advised to desist from conniving with self-styled ECG employees or electricians who interfere with our meter installations and illegally connect to the grid.

“Such actions deny ECG much-needed revenue, negatively affecting the quality of service provided to customers,” he said.

He further stressed, “To all who have done illegal connections, we will identify you and recover the value of all the power you have used for free, with penalty.”

Illegal Connections

A pilot phase of the revenue protection exercise, conducted between September and December 2024 exposed 374 cases of illegal connections, leading to the recovery of 3.3GWh of stolen power, valued at GH?7,411,462.00.

The Accra West Revenue Protection Manager, Dr. Mark Owusu Ansah, described the findings as alarming and reiterated the company’s commitment to tackling the issue aggressively.

“We regard persons who engage in illegalities as thieves who steal power from us and deny us revenue. We are, therefore, leaving no stone unturned to identify such criminals and root them out,” he said.

The audit uncovered various illegal practices, including direct service connections, meter bypass, meter tampering and unauthorised service connections.

Task Force

The ongoing crackdown will cover all eight operational districts under ECG – Accra West namely: Ablekuma, Achimota, Amasaman, Bortianor, Dansoman, Kaneshie, Korle-Bu and Nsawam.

Authorities have assured that the task force will continue its inspections to deter future offenses. Customers are urged to comply with ECG regulations to avoid sanctions, as the company remains determined to recover lost revenue and improve service delivery.

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